Pokéville
by TheAuthorGl1m0
Summary: A lonely Pikachu from the City ends up in Pokeville, a town full of friendly Pokemon. He moves in with a fiesty Shinx, and soon learns the values of friendship that he never before knew. A Pokemon-only story, yet the Pokemon live like humans do.
1. A New Beginning

A/N: Hello! My name is gl1m0, an this is my first fan-fiction, hopefully it won't be my last! The story is based off a short story I wrote years back, about a happy town whose caring citizens look out for each other. So, I had the idea of mixing that idea with the world of Pokémon, and then I churned it up a bit and lengthened it to give the story some flavor. This is a pretty long story so expect many chapters (I have over 30 planned so far, but there may be more). I'm kinda-sorta a newbie at this but people say I'm good at writing stories. Hopefully you think so too! Please enjoy the story, and review while you're at it!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokémon or any of it's affiliates. The Pokémon trademark belongs to Nintendo, GameFreak, and any other persons or corporations who are involved with it. The _Pokéville_ world was created by myself, and myself only. Similarities to existing people, places, etc. is not intended and entirely coincidental.

* * *

_There are worlds that exist beyond our own. Worlds we cannot see, hear, touch, or even dream about. Worlds that are infinite in number, and ones that seem to defy the long-established laws of our world. Every world is unique, and yet, one thing ties them all together._

_Relationships._

_I not only refer to a relationship between a married couple, or between a parent and child, or even between two friends. It all refers to how everything relates to one another. Be it through simple species interaction, how one affects another, or through a more complex but far more powerful method:_

_ Love and Friendship._

_In our world, without either of these traits, we would surely perish, gone the way so many other species on Earth had gone. In our world, turmoil reigns supreme, be it through violence, sadness, or worst yet, death. Long have people prayed for peace and love, yet it is a wish not even God himself can grant. The natural behavior of the Human race ensures that war and conflict, or pain and sadness, will never come to an end. _

_Cryptic and disturbing though my analysis may be, it is the grim reality. Despite this, I take no regret in my life. And that is because I have lived a happy life, with my loving family, and my best friends. I take my final legacy with contentment, knowing I have done my part in this otherwise cruel world._

_Love and Friendship. __They are the most powerful kinds of relationships. And far away, in another world, a young, lonely creature will experience the true meaning of these traits, and he will come to be the saviour of his world._

_I am truly blessed to have witnessed his ordeal..._

_

* * *

_

Pikachu sighed heavily. He had not been walking for more than an hour, and he was already flat-out exhausted. He stopped in his tracks, holding a small bag that was slung over his back, and sat down.

The electric mouse Pokémon, Pikachu, a yellow-furred creature with red pouches on his cheeks and a lightning bolt-shaped tail, looked all around as he tried to catch his breath. He was alone, on the side of a highway that was unnaturally quiet, and the air was almost maddeningly still, save for the occasional whoosh of a passing breeze. Pikachu sighed again and took a deep breath. The air was clean, much cleaner than what he was used to. He took advantage of the moment of peace, until finally coming to grips with his personal anguish, and he realized how hopeless it all was.

"I... I can't..." Pikachu moaned to himself, "I have no idea where I'm going... It's a huge, scary world out there... But... there's no way I can go back _there_ though..." Pikachu's thoughts drifted to his former home in a massive place known as New Haven City. Life there was awful. He often had no money, as it was difficult for him to find a half-decent job. He had to mostly rely on welfare, but new jurisdictions and budget-cuts left him out to become a street-dweller, which is exactly as unglamorous as it sounds. He thought back to his childhood, his happy childhood, where his parents would always look and take care of him. If only it weren't for that time when... a terrible thing happened.

Memories of that horrible day came flooding back to Pikachu as he remembered the accident. His eyes welled up, and tears slid down his cheeks, causing a light discharge of electricity to leap from his cheek to the ground. Pikachu's parents you see had been involved in a tragic fire, when Pikachu was just a little Pichu. He went in to try and help his parents, despite the danger, and a Croconaw working with the Fire Brigade had to pull Pichu away from the burning building. The building soon collapsed after that, erasing any hope for the trapped victims. The fire went on for hours until it was finally contained, and a later search revealed no feasible remains. It was assumed Pikachu's parents - and many others - had perished. The cause of the fire was never determined, and Pikachu never recovered fully from the incident. He spent the next two years living on his own, until he finally lost hope in the government and left the City.

Pikachu scowled. "I hope those dirty, rotten government people burn too..." he mouthed softly, a hint of anger in his voice. He had lost faith in everyone but himself. That would soon change.

A distant noise caused Pikachu to look up, and he saw a small, rather old PokéWagen-model car, slowing driving down the road. Pikachu payed no mind to it, as he wanted to be left alone. So he buried his head in his arms and started silently mouthing curses to himself.

The car pulled up beside him and suddenly skidded to a stop with a sharp _"SCRIIIITCH!"_. Pikachu didn't look up, as he was too busy thinking about his lousy life, the fire, and his parents all at the same time. The car door swung open, and a short penguin-like Pokémon with blue and light-blue colored skin stepped out, and cast a curious glance at Pikachu.

"Um... Excuse me?" the penguin Pokémon asked.

Pikachu didn't move an inch, so the Pokémon asked again.

"Hello? Are you even awake? HE-LLO?"

Pikachu slowly looked up, but only enough that his tear-filled eyes were barely visible.

"What do you want?" Pikachu asked, almost in a snappish tone.

"I-I... saw you here on the roadside, and, um, well..." the Pokémon replied, sounding both nervous and confused, "I... well... I thought that you wanted..."

Pikachu raised his head some more, but still kept his face mostly hidden.

"That... if you, want... a ride, somewhere..?" the Pokémon managed to say.

Pikachu raised his head fully now, exposing the fact that he had just be sobbing not long ago.

"Oh!" the Pokémon said, almost startled, "I didn't know... Umm, are you feeling okay? 'Cause you don't look it to me..."

Pikachu closed his eyes tightly and wiped away the tears, somewhat embarrassed and nervous. "I'm... fine... It's nothing. Nothing at all." Pikachu said, his voice breaking slightly.

The Pokémon scratched her head questioningly, but after a few moments of awkward silence she finally asked, "Okay... So, are you coming?"

Pikachu stood transfixed for a moment until he realized what she asked him.

"Huh? What? O-oh yeah..." Pikachu said feeling kind of dumb.

The penguin Pokémon motioned at Pikachu's bag and said, "You can put that bag of yours into the trunk," she said.

"Hmm? Oh, okay," Pikachu responded, and slowly walked to the rear end of the vehicle.

The Pokémon got inside and pulled a small switch which opened the trunk, unfortunately while Pikachu was leaning over it. He was sent back at least 2 metres from the resulting impact, and nearly got KO'd, as the trunk opened with a pretty darn good amount of force.

"Oh my Arceus!" the Pokémon shouted, jumping out of the car and rushing to Pikachu's side. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? Oh gosh oh gosh oh gosh what in Mew's name am I going to do?"

Pikachu was dizzy and lightheaded from the sudden impact, and as soon as he regained his senses he immediately rubbed his face to help dull the pain.

"Grk... I'm fine... Don't worry about me, this stuff happens..."

"Oh thank goodness you're fine, I don't know would've happened if I accidentally KO'd you! What would all my friends think?" the Pokémon said, still worked up over what transpired.

Pikachu slowly got to his feet and rubbed his head, still echoing with pain. He picked up his bag, which was thrown off him during the impact, and casually tossed it into the trunk before closing it (and was _very_ careful not to get hit again).

Pikachu and the penguin Pokémon both got inside the small two-seater PokéWagen, and they began driving off.

After a few minutes of silence Pikachu asked, "So, what's your name?"

"My name?" the Pokémon replied, "Well, my name is... Piplup. But some of my friends like to call me Pip for some reason..."

Pikachu couldn't help but snicker. "My name's Pikachu. No nickname, just... Pikachu."

A few more moments of silence followed.

"Soooo..." Piplup chimed, "What were you doing by the road?"

Pikachu wasn't sure how to answer the question. He simply hummed and hawed about it for a bit, trying to gather a proper but not too deep explanation.

"Well... Er... I simply wanted to get away from it all. From the City, I meant, of course," Pikachu managed to say.

"I see..." Piplup said softly, "So, have you thought about where you wanna go?"

Pikachu opened his mouth to say something, then closed it. Then opened and closed his mouth again. He could not answer the question. He had _nowhere_ to go.

"...Nowhere..." Pikachu finally managed to say, a tone of depression easily traceable in his voice.

Piplup looked over at Pikachu, who looked clearly upset. "Don't you have a home... or a family even?"

Pikachu began to cry again, then quietly answered, "Neither... I've been on my own... for years... My parents are gone, my home is gone, and I can't afford an apartment anymore... so... I don't know what I'm gonna do..." he said, his voice cracking as the tears came.

"...Oh my goodness... I'm so sorry... But... please don't cry now, there's still hope!" Piplup said, hoping to encourage Pikachu a bit, but it didn't really help.

"Hope...? Feh... I've given up on that... I just wanna get away from that horrible place, New Haven. Away from that City. That's all that matters to me now. Too many bad memories there..." Pikachu said, lowering his head in sadness.

Piplup frowned, and looked away from him and began thinking. _He's homeless,_ she thought, _There must be something... Anything..._

She suddenly smiled. "I know where to go," she said.

Pikachu, still fairly upset, looked over and gave her a wondering look, as if to ask, "Where?"

"Oh you'll see. You'll see..." Piplup said, as if she read Pikachu's mind. They continued to drive down the highway, until they passed a sign which read:

'**POKéVILLE - 12 MILES AHEAD**'

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A/N: UPDATED: Finished re-editing the first chapter, and the next few are soon to follow! ;) I fixed a few spelling mistakes and fleshed out the intro a bit, so it should be a bit better presentable when compared to the rest of the story. Though, I think it still gets way better as you read on... Anyway, to any new readers, please R&R and expect more updates in the future!

Fare thee well!

-gl1m0


	2. Homecoming

A/N: Wow, this chapter came up sooner than expected, but I guess that's a good thing. Regardless, enjoy this chapter, and review while you're at it!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokemon or any of it's affiliates. The Pokemon trademark belongs to Nintendo, GameFreak, and any other persons or corporations who are involved with it. The Pokeville world was created by myself, and myself only. Similarities to existing people, places, etc. is not intended and entirely coincidental.

* * *

The car drove almost too slowly for Pikachu's patience to hold. It couldn't have gone scarcely more that ten miles an hour.

"Why are you driving so slow?" Pikachu inquired, half-annoyed and half-curious. He pointed at a speed limit sign they were passing. "The limit is _fifty_ you know."

"FIFTY? Are you serious?" Piplup responded, rather shocked, "We could get killed at that speed!"

"Well it's still not good to drive WAY UNDER the limit!" Pikachu shot back.

Piplup was silent for a minute, sheepishly said "Fine" and then pulled the car's speed up to roughly thirty-five.

Pikachu looked over at Piplup, and noted a look of anxiousness on her face, as if she was afraid to be driving at this speed, even though it was still a speed well below the limit.

"Okay," Pikachu finally managed to say, "Speak up, what's with that look on your face, are you afraid of driving or something?"

"Kinda." Piplup replied, shying away slightly, and softly added "I was in an accident once..."

At the word 'accident' Pikachu tensed up and the memories of his parents came rushing back. He was on the verge of weeping but managed to keep himself composed and focused.

"What happened?" Pikachu asked, not really paying attention.

"It's a long story... But to keep it simple I... Sorta..." Now Piplup looked like SHE was going to cry, since tears were forming in her eyes. "I... hurt someone... accidentally..."

"Oh..." Pikachu mumbled, watching the road with growing concern.

"It was awful... I mean, no one was killed or anything, and they didn't blame me or anything for it happening... But still..." Piplup continued, weeping slightly.

"Uhhh... Piplup?" Pikachu said, obviously concerned about something.

Piplup didn't hear him. "I mean, I can't stand using cars anymore, but I pretty much have too, helping my brother and all."

"Piplup? Piplup!" Pikachu almost shouted, clearly distressed since the car was slowly steering off the road.

"Wha-what? What is it?" Piplup asked, annoyed at having her story interrupted.

"The car... You're driving into the ditch!" Pikachu yelled.

"I'm not-" Piplup started, then noticed Pikachu was right. "Eeek! Not again!" She shouted, heavily panicked.

Pikachu suddenly reached over and grabbed the steering wheel from Piplup, then spun the wheel and the car veered back onto the road.

Pikachu sat back down on his seat and sighed. Piplup however was still sat rigidly, with a frozen look of shock still on her face.

"Piplup? Are you feeling alright?" Pikachu asked.

Piplup did not move (aside from trembling slightly), she continued to stare straight with a shocked expression. It was a good thing the road was perfectly straight, otherwise they would've crashed since the car was still moving.

Pikachu gave Piplup a hard shove. "Hey! Snap out of it!" He shouted.

Piplup suddenly came to her senses. "W-What happened?" She asked, trembling.

"You almost got us killed..." Pikachu said somewhat coldly.

"Huh? Oh... Sorry, so very sorry..." Piplup apologized.

They continued driving for another minute and soon a small town was visible in the distance.

"Uh, that's it over there." Piplup told Pikachu.

"What's so special about this place?" Pikachu inquired, "It seems really small to me."

"Small in size, I suppose. But big in heart." Piplup said with a wink.

"Heart, eh? They could use more of that in the City..." Pikachu lamented, thinking about the government's inability to help during his time of need.

"So true, so true." Piplup added.

A moment of silence followed, before Pikachu spoke up.

"How is coming here going to help me? I have no money, I'll never be able to afford a house anywhere!" He said, sounding hopeless.

"That's okay, you can move in with a friend of mine. I'd let you stay at our house but it's full right now, since I got my brother there to worry about." She said with a laugh.

"I see... Who's this 'friend', anyway?" Pikachu asked.

"Him? Oh, his name is Shinx. He doesn't usually get along with anyone besides me and the neighbours, but once you get to know him and vice versa, then he's a pretty cool guy." Piplup said, smiling.

"That's nice, but do you think he'll mind me staying there?" Pikachu asked sounding concerned.

"Oh well, he should. If not... Well... I hear sleeping outside is nice." Piplup replied, somewhat jokingly.

Pikachu cracked a small smile, the first he had in a while, and for the first time since before the accident, he felt comforted.

The car turned onto a small turnoff road, next to which was a billboard which read: "WELCOME TO POKéVILLE - Where friends are forever."

Pikachu's smile widened, this may have been the break he was looking for. _Perhaps this is a chance to start over,_ Pikachu thought. _I suppose I should forget about... THAT incident._

They drove down the road until finally coming into full view of the town. Pikachu looked all around, quite astounded as how was different from the City. He saw different townsfolk walking to and fro, and rows of shops and businesses along what must have been the downtown area. Piplup pointed out a shop they passed.

"That's where my brother works." Piplup said. "Which reminds me, I need to go see him about something later when I have time..."

Pikachu said nothing, but continued to observe the passing scenery.

After another minute of driving they finally arrived at what seemed to be their destination, a row of houses circled around a cul-de-sac. Piplup stopped the car in one of the driveways, then both she and Pikachu got out.

"Oh gosh! We're going to be neighbours!" Piplup said excitedly, rushing over to Pikachu.

"I guess so." Pikachu said, again managing a smile. Piplup smiled too.

"Well, if you ever wanna come visit, then my house is..." Piplup began looking around for her house, apparently not realizing she was standing in front of it. When she did realize however, she was very embarrassed. "Oh yeah... Heheheh, it's right behind me..." Piplup said, and faked a smile.

"I kinda figured that out already." Pikachu said, laughing.

"Ahahaha... Yeah..." Piplup said, trying to laugh too, even though it's hard to laugh at your own stupidity when you should have known better.

"Well, where does this Shinx live anyway?" Pikachu said casually as he looked around at many of the houses that surrounded them.

"Uhhmmm... That one over there!" Piplup said, pointing at the blue-roofed house a small ways (roughly two or three yards) from Piplup's house.

"Just remember what I said okay? He may seem snippy at times, but it's only because you're "new". Just give him time to warm up to you 'kay?" Piplup said with a smile, then she turned and walked to her house.

Pikachu grabbed his bag from the trunk, waved goodbye to Piplup, then began walking towards the house. _You know, I think this'll be a good day. _He thought to himself, smiling.

Not today at least.

* * *

A/N: Well it seems that Pikachu made it! Piplup's a lousy driver, but she gets you there... Eventually. XD

So, Pikachu will be meeting Shinx for the first time in the next chapter. I'll tell you this, he can be a bit sadistic sometimes, but I'll just let you decide for yourself. Chapter 3 will be up tomorrow! So R&R until then!

Fare thee well!

-gl1m0


	3. An Electric Reception

A/N: Okay! Here's Chapter 3 like I promised! Please go ahead and enjoy!

* * *

Pikachu slowly approached the house, which stood imposingly in front of him. He had never lived in, or even seen a house this big, save for the large apartments and skyscrapers in the City. But a house this big for just one Pokemon? He suddenly felt afraid. If the house was this big, then is Shinx bigger than him? Sure, this house is the same size as Piplup's house but she has her older brother living there too. Somewhat apprehensively he walked up to the door (which was a fair bit bigger than him) and knocked three times. He stepped back and tried to put on a smile, but somehow thought it was meaningless.

Pikachu heard footsteps from behind the door, and readied himself, looking up slightly. The door suddenly swung open, nearly smacking Pikachu for the second time is as many hours. But he was more surprised by the fact that no one seemed to be there, until a voice corrected him.

"Yoo-hoo, down here." the voice said.

Pikachu looked down slowly, and was quite surprised to find a Pokémon just a little shorter than himself, standing on all fours with light-blue/black fur and seemed to somewhat resemble a lion cub.

"What do you want Sparky?" the Pokémon asked rather harshly.

"Umm... Well..." Pikachu tried to say, but despite the Pokémon being smaller than himself he still felt intimidated by the cold stare he was giving him.

"Well?" the Pokémon asked again, growing impatient.

"Errr... Is your name S-Shinx?" Pikachu asked, growing more and more nervous.

"No, I'm Latios." the Pokémon said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Yes I'm Shinx, what's it to you?"

"Well... See... Your friend Piplup-"

"Hold up, Piplup? You know her?" Shinx said, suddenly interested but still maintaining a bored expression.

"Y-Yes, she picked me up from the highway and decided to bring me here, since I have nowhere else to go..." Pikachu explained.

"So I'm guessing you want to bunk in at my house - of all places - now that you're here, right?" Shinx demanded, looking a bit annoyed.

"Urmm... Since you put it that way I guess... Well, errr... Yes." Pikachu confessed.

_SLAM!_ Shinx shut the door so hard, it knocked Pikachu off his feet. Dazed, Pikachu stood up, and still not deterred, he knocked once again.

The door opened, only slightly this time, and Shinx poked his head through the door and shouted, "Forget about it 'pal'! I'm not letting you come in so you can trash the place! I just had it cleaned too!"

"But-" was all Pikachu managed to say before the door was slammed again.

For a final time Pikachu knocked rapidly on the door several times, and the door flung wide open, with an angry-looking Shinx stepping out.

"Is this gonna become a regular thing?" He shouted, "I already told you-" But he stopped short when he saw Pikachu kneeling (in a sense) on the ground, with his paws cupped together.

"Please!" Pikachu begged him, "I have no home, no job, no life, nothing! All I ask is just to stay for a _little bit_! Please! I'M BEGGING YOU!"

This caught Shinx off-guard, he had not realized that Pikachu's life had broken down. Immediately he began to feel a pang of regret. He looked down on Pikachu, who was now beginning to cry and beg some more. Shinx finally had enough.

"Gahhhh... Fine, you can stay, BUT FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY, GOT ME?" Shinx asserted.

"I-I can stay?" Pikachu said, tears still running down his face, "You're seriously gonna let ME stay here? Here? Now? For real?"

"Yes yes yes..." Shinx replied, who regained his usual bored expression and demeanour. "But you might wanna be quick about it, or I might change my mind."

Pikachu wasted no time in picking up his bag, then rushing inside the house. Shinx closed the door behind him, while Pikachu gazed in awe at the rather large house that surrounded him. In his mind he knew it would beat a cramped apartment any day.

"Okay, Sparky." Shinx said, walking to Pikachu, "Ground rules: 1. Don't touch anything. 2. Don't touch anything. Want to guess number 3?"

"Uhrr... Don't touch anything?" Pikachu answered.

"Exactly. You do, and you'll be out of here faster than I can whip my tail, and that's pretty damn fast mind you." snapped Shinx.

"Right, message received." Pikachu replied bluntly, trying to remain composed.

"So Sparky, you'll be sleeping in the guest room 'cross from mine. Usually that's where Piplup, Torchic or the other guys sleep when they decide to have a sleepover or whatever. Not that you'll be here long enough to enjoy it though." Shinx said with a smirk.

"Ahahaha... Yeah, right..." Pikachu said, and tried to put on a fake smile, but he knew this wouldn't get him anywhere. "My name is actually Pikachu by the way..." He added.

Shinx frowned. "Yeah? Well I'm calling you Sparky, Sparky. Got a problem with that?"

Pikachu tried to protest but after noting a rather menacing glare from Shinx he decided to let the issue be.

Pikachu's eye spotted a fairly large box-shaped device, with a glass screen on the front and antennae fixed rigidly on the top. It was a commonplace television set.

Shinx noticed Pikachu's eye on the TV and suddenly spoke up.

"Well Sparky, if you wanna watch the TV then you'll have to ask me!" Shinx said with a coy smile. "Well? Go on!"

Pikachu had never meant to watch TV, but he nevertheless decided to go along with it.

"Uhhh... Can I watch watch TV?" Pikachu replied somewhat nervously.

"No, it's _MAY I_ watch TV, Sparky." Shinx said, winking.

"Well... MAY I watch TV?" repeated Pikachu.

"Well, since you asked so politely..." said Shinx, casually strolling over to a nearby TV set. Unfortunately the remote to change the channel was left on top of the television, rendering it just out of Shinx's reach. "Gah! I hate it when Piplup does that! She KNOWS I can't reach that high! Damn it all!" He shouted angrily.

Shinx tried various methods of retrieving the remote ranging from reaching for it to bumping the TV set to knock down the remote. None of which were successful.

Pikachu looked on, and wanted to laugh at Shinx's expense, but didn't, since that would have no doubt ticked him off. Rather, he walked to the TV, and casually reached for the remote, grabbed it, then handed it down to Shinx.

"Uhh, here, you'll need this I guess." Pikachu said with a smile.

Shinx gave him a curious glance, then finally said, "Well, thanks Sparky, I guess."

It was the first time Pikachu could remember helping somebody besides himself, and it made him feel happy. Despite Shinx's behaviour he remembered what Piplup said.

Pikachu sat down on the couch, and Shinx did too (mind you he sat on the far side of the couch away from Pikachu). As they watched the television Pikachu thought about the day, and how much his life has changed. He had moments before been homeless, and he finally convinced Shinx to let him stay. Pikachu's mind flashed back to when he was on the streets, after his parent's home was foreclosed when they died. He found himself once again about to cry, but he didn't dare to in front of Shinx, fearing some kind of taunting for being a 'baby' and whatnot.

"... And we bring you this live coverage from City Square, where the Mayor of New Haven City has made his public address. I quote from portions of his speech: 'We are making good progress with the economy and job loss situation, the number of unemployed in our city has decreased 45 percent since last year..."

Pikachu scoffed. _That's because all the unemployed either left that forsaken place or starved to death._ He thought, scowling.

"...The Mayor has made it clear that the situation with pollution and crime in New Haven is also improving..."

Shinx snickered. "Try telling that to guys like Sparky here." He said, glancing over at Pikachu.

"...And that concludes this hour's news broadcast. We hope to see you again!" The news story concluded and commercials began flashing on. During this time Pikachu began to think about what Shinx said.

_He wants me out by tomorrow,_ Pikachu thought to himself, _A depressing thought, but that's not new to me I suppose._

Pikachu did not know it, but he was one step closer to finding what he really wanted.

* * *

A/N: Shinx really seems like a nice guy doesn't he? [/sarcasm] In case you're wondering, 'New Haven City' is the real name of 'The City'. Anyway, please review and I'll bring you the next chapter pretty soon!

Fare thee well!

-gl1m0


	4. A Not So Silent Night

A/N: Alright, Chapter 4 is here at last. You know what to do, Read and Review and I'll get back to you with the next chapter! :)

* * *

Night seemed to come fast that day, as the sun slowly sunk below the horizon. Pikachu had spent much of the day at Shinx's house staying out of his way and remembering his 'three rules'. But whenever an opportunity to help out arose, be it assisting with out-of-reach objects or helping with rather complicated tasks, then Pikachu would do it. Mind you Shinx more often than not ignored or shrugged off these acts of kindness, or at best say nothing more than "Thanks."

Despite all that Pikachu still felt good about helping him. He felt as if his life had meaning now. At least until he had to leave, which was tomorrow morning, as Shinx had said.

Finally night-time came, and after enjoying a nice supper (well, Shinx had a nice supper anyway, Pikachu just had some leftovers), both Pikachu and Shinx headed up to the bedrooms.

"Alright, Sparky." Shinx said flatly, "Like I said before, the guest room, that room right there," He said, raising his front paw to point at the room, "Is where you'll you be sleeping. Tonight only. Got that?"

Pikachu nodded solemnly.

"Good. Once daybreak comes you grab your junk, and then get out, and I won't have to deal with you again." said Shinx rather coldly.

Pikachu said nothing, but just slowly walked into his room, then threw his bag onto the bed before getting on it himself. It was a very cozy bed, much more so than the one's he remembered sleeping in. The colour was so not his style though. He looked out the window at the distant lights of downtown Pokéville. He would have to find another place to stay, or at least get a job somewhere in town. Like that's possible.

Pikachu pulled himself under the sheets and tried to get through his mind what he should do. _Ugh, It's gonna be a heck of a day tomorrow,_ Pikachu thought.

He turned attention to his bag, and opened it up. Within was nothing more than a few bare essentials (a brush, a cloth, some snacks) and perhaps his most treasured possession, a framed photo of himself, as a young Pichu, with his parents. Looking at this photo always made him feel happy, yet sad at the same time.

Without realizing it he said aloud, "I've always missed you... Mom... Dad..." He said to the picture mournfully, as if expecting it to respond. When it didn't, Pikachu came to his senses.

"Ohhh... Who am I trying trying to kid?" Pikachu said stuffing the picture back into his bag. "I've lost my parents, I've lost my life, how much lower can I sink?" Pikachu buried his face in a pillow and muttered rather loudly, "And Shinx is too much of a damn jerk to see that! I tried being nice and helping him with things! But what does he do? He either ignores me or just mumbles 'Whatever!' Grrrr... He just... what a... big... Grumble..."

Pikachu continued muttering curses and finally letting Shinx's behaviour wear on him, and then conveniently forgot everything Piplup told him and started silently insulting Shinx and cursing him until Pikachu finally passed out from sheer sleepiness.

* * *

Shinx suddenly remembered he had left his novel in the living room, and, not wanting to go to bed without a good book, he managed to gather enough energy to hop out of his bed and retrieve it. Of course, lacking any hands to take the book he simply picked it up with his mouth

On his way back he heard a strange noise from Pikachu's room. _Oh, he better not be touching anything..._ Thought Shinx fiercely.

He approached the door, which was cracked open just enough for him to see into the room. Pikachu was there on the bed, admiring a picture in his hands. _So that's it, little Sparky gazing at some little picture? _Shinx thought, reassured. _Nothing to worry about I suppose._

Shinx turned to leave, but then suddenly heard Pikachu say, "I've always missed you... Mom... Dad..."

Shinx, suddenly interested, looked again through the door opening, and saw Pikachu still holding the picture, but he looked like he was about to start bawling big time. And he did.

"Ohhh... Who am I trying trying to kid? I've lost my parents, I've lost my life, how much lower can I sink?"

Shinx was greatly surprised, more so then when Pikachu begged him to be allowed to stay. Shinx certainly had no idea his _parents_ were gone, apparently missing or... Dead. He began to think about what he did to Pikachu, and immediately felt like a complete... Well, you know.

"And Shinx is too much of a damn jerk to see that!" These words shocked him, and he dropped the book with a thud, as his mouth was wide open with surprise. Pikachu seemed too busy with his rant to notice though.

"I tried being nice and helping him with things! But what does he do? He either ignores me or just mumbles 'Whatever!' Grrrr... He just... What a... Big... Grumble..." Pikachu continued before covering himself with the sheets, still grumbling various curses.

Shinx had trouble sleeping that night, what he saw and heard had taken him aback. No one ever said he was a jerk or that he was so mean to them. Sure he never behaved that way to Piplup, Torchic, or the other guys, aside from the odd smart joke, he only did to people he disliked or didn't know, but not even THEY said anything. And even his friends never said he was a jerk for acting that way towards them! Both confused, upset, and disturbed at the fact of harbouring a traumatized Pokemon with no family or life, he somehow managed to fall asleep well after midnight.

* * *

Pikachu was exhausted, even though he slept in. Last night's rant took something out of him, and he was NOT looking forward to leaving. After a bout of self-encouragement he finally managed to drag himself out of bed. Pikachu grabbed his bag and went down to the front door, where Shinx was waiting for him.

"So, uh... Sparky." said Shinx, looking a little down, "You ready to, err... You know?"

Pikachu frowned, then silently nodded.

"Well... Okay then..." Shinx said, opening the door slowly.

"See ya... Shinx..." Pikachu said both tired and sad.

As Pikachu slowly started out the door several thoughts began racing through Shinx's mind. If Piplup finds out that he cast out a homeless, helpless Pokemon who will probably get lost or starve alone out there, she wouldn't let him hear the end of it. She'd probably demand Shinx to find Pikachu, and he'd be stuck with him anyways. And Pikachu has no will to live without anyone to be with or anything to do, so he'll probably die if he was let out and found nowhere else to go. Shinx couldn't live with himself knowing that he kicked out a poor Pokemon just so he could die. He just couldn't. What will everyone think of him?

_I guess there's only one thing to do..._ Shinx thought. He took a deep breath, prayed this was the right decision, jumped and grabbed the door handle with his teeth and yanked the door shut, (once again) knocking Pikachu off his feet.

"W-What the hell was that for?" Pikachu shouted, rubbing his head in pain, "Is this ANOTHER one of your sick jokes?"

Shinx frowned. "Well, I both wanted to not be ignored AND to make my point clear, but if you really want to just go then be my guest!"

Pikachu stared at him. "So, what are you trying to say?"

"In case is was not obvious..." Shinx stated matter-of-factually, "That slamming the door before you could leave means you're not going anywhere."

Pikachu's eyes widened. "I-I can stay? Longer? No kidding?"

Shinx flashed a smug grin. "For now at least."

"Oh, thank you thank you thank you THANK YOU!" Pikachu shouted joyously, jumping off the floor and hugging Shinx.

_**BZAP! **_One quick Spark later Pikachu was back on the floor, a little dizzy.

Shinx walked beside him. "New rule: No hugging. Comprendez?"

Pikachu, a bit groggy, gave a quick nod.

"Good." said Shinx with a wink, and he walked back to the kitchen. "How 'bout some breakfast, Sparky?"

"Urrghhh... Sure... Sounds cool... Blahh..." Pikachu said, still dizzy from the sudden electric burst. He managed to smile a bit, and realized that his friendship with Shinx had just begun.

* * *

A/N: Awww... So Shinx has a heart after all! (Granted you may need a magnifier to see it clearly. XD)

That's 4 chapters so far! And who knows, 5 may be up tonight! And don't forget to review too, since the current lack of feedback is a bit disappointing... But oh well. I'll get back to you with Chapter 5 pretty soon either way regardless!

Fare thee well!

-gl1m0


	5. Cherry Tree Times

A/N: Well how about that! Two chapters in a single day, not half-bad! Anyways, please read, enjoy, and review please, and I'll give you Chapter 6 tomorrow!

* * *

Pikachu was almost too happy after Shinx decided to let him stay at the house. He constantly had to warn Pikachu against hugging, lest another blast of electricity be unceremoniously unleashed.

It was a beautiful day out, and so after having lunch (which Shinx thoughtfully prepared), Shinx proposed, "Hey Sparky, wanna go for a walk?"

"Now _you're_ wanting to go for a walk?" Pikachu said, a little surprised.

"Well, Now that you're pretty much living here," said Shinx, looking a bit guarded, "We should spend some time to get to know each other, and also prove that I'm NOT a jerk."

"Say whaaa? I never said you were-" Pikachu said, but then suddenly his eyes widened. "Oh no, did you...?"

Shinx nodded. "I heard everything."

Pikachu's mouth was wide open, last night he said out loud that he lost EVERYTHING in life, including his parents, and openly insulted and cursed Shinx. And Shinx was there the whole time eavesdropping.

"B-But, I didn't mean... I-I never..." Pikachu tried to defend himself, but couldn't find the right words. Shinx looked despondent.

Pikachu sighed, and finally managed to apologize. "Look, I'm so very sorry about what I said, I know I shouldn't have just slammed you, but I was just-"

Shinx raised his paw, and Pikachu quickly shut up.

"Now now, don't be like that." Shinx said quietly, his eyes closed. "I'm pretty sure I deserved it anyway."

"But I really am-"

"-Sorry, I know. But in fact I should be the one saying sorry, for behaving so aggressively toward you..." said Shinx, his tone growing evermore distant.

"Well..." Pikachu said, a little unsure of what to do. "Shall we both just, y'know, let bygones be bygones and... Well, get on with our lives?"

Shinx opened his eyes and looked at Pikachu, still looking somewhat upset.

"And, I-I forgive you..." Pikachu slowly said.

Shinx cracked a small smile. "That's okay, you don't have to do that."

"But I want to!" Pikachu suddenly shouted, surprising Shinx a bit. "Errr.. Well... I want to forgive you, 'cause if I don't, then this will never be truly resolved. That's right I can and will forgive you because I want to!"

Shinx smile slowly widened. "Well, thanks a lot Sparky, really."

Pikachu opened his arms wide. "Hug?"

Shinx quickly narrowed his eyes.

"No." He replied sternly.

Pikachu shrugged. "Fair enough. So, how about that walk?"

Shinx gave his usual smug grin. "I wondered when you were gonna remember that."

* * *

Pikachu and Shinx spent most of the walk down the road chatting, and it allowed them both to connect.

"So Sparky, how was the trip down here? When Piplup picked you up and all?" Shinx inquired.

"Well... Let's just say it was 'eventful'." Pikachu replied.

"In such a way as...?"

"Ehh, you know, she almost crashed the car."

Shinx snickered. "That Pip, she really knows how to act like a Slakoth sometimes."

"I am duly offended, guys." A voice came from above.

Sure enough, a Slakoth was up in a nearby tree, who was trying to relax until recently.

"Hey Slacky!" Shinx called up to him. "How's it hanging?"

Pikachu laughed. "Nice one, buddy."

"Do you always gotta be that way Shinx? If I wasn't so lazy I'd... Yawn..." Slakoth yawned, then promptly fell asleep.

"Ha! Good luck with that pal! Let's go, Sparky." Shinx said, and he and Pikachu trodded off, leaving Slakoth snoozing in the tree.

They walked down the road for a few more minutes, until something caught Shinx's eye. "Is that what I think it is?" He said, sounding excited.

"What? What is it?" Pikachu asked, looking around to try and see what Shinx was talking about.

"Over there! You don't see it?"

"What, those trees over there?" Pikachu said, pointing at a circle of pink-coloured trees.

Shinx scoffed. "These aren't regular trees," He said, rolling his eyes, "Those are Cherry Blossoms! They bloom here once a year during Spring, and there's a big ceremony to commemorate it!"

"Back in the City no one seemed to care about trees very much." Pikachu said softly.

"The City? They could give less of a damn about trees in general even if it was the most interesting thing there!" Shinx snapped.

Pikachu stepped back, a bit nervous.

Upon realizing what he did Shinx quickly apologized. "Sorry, I tend to lose it when I think about those... Those... Grahh... I need to relax." He said.

Pikachu looked on at the circle of Cherry Blossoms, and saw a number of Pokemon beginning to assemble in and around the circle.

"Hey Shinx, I think that ceremony of yours is starting now actually." Pikachu told Shinx, who was sitting down.

"Really? It's a bit earlier than I remember, but it will be a good opportunity to meet other townsfolk." Shinx replied, "And knowing Piplup she's probably already there."

Shinx suddenly started dashing toward the ceremony, then called to Pikachu. "Hey Sparky! You might wanna be quick or they'll start without you!" He shouted with a laugh.

Pikachu quickly dashed after Shinx, who was already far ahead. But since Pikachu are by nature very quick, he managed to catch up and pass Shinx with little difficulty. He arrived at the Cherry Blossoms first, and Shinx was there seconds later.

"So what does everyone do at this ceremony, festival, whatever?" Pikachu asked, surveying the grounds around him, where many different Pokemon were hustling to and fro.

"Well, for the most part they walk around, socialize and admire the Cherry Blossoms, and then we also sing this old song that we were taught long ago." Shinx replied, smiling.

"Hey, you said Piplup would be here, right?" Pikachu asked, "I wonder-"

"Hey Pikachu! Shinx!" An all-too-familiar voice called out.

"Oh look, there's Piplup now. I'd recognize that squealy voice anywhere." said Shinx.

Piplup, along with two other Pokemon, came rushing out of the crowd toward Pikachu and Shinx.

"It's great to see you both!" Piplup said. "So Pikachu, how was your first day?"

Pikachu and Shinx looked at each other for a moment, then looked back at Piplup and simply said, "We worked it out." There's no way either of them would admit to Piplup about their... complications.

"Oh it's great to see you two getting along so well so quickly!" Piplup said, "Ah, where are my manners! I forgot to introduce Pikachu to my friends."

Piplup pointed at the Pokemon with vibrant orange feathers, and generally resembled a chick. "This is Torchic. He's a bit of a loose cannon but he doesn't really care what others think about him."

"Hiya! Pikachu, is it? Nice to meetch'ya!" greeted Torchic in a very peppy mood.

"H-Hi... You too." Pikachu said, a bit shy and slightly put off but Torchic's upbeat attitude.

"And this," said Piplup, pointing to the other Pokemon, who stood on all fours - like Shinx - and clearly a Grass-type, due to the leaf on it's head, "Is Chikorita. She can be pretty shy sometimes, but she's really nice."

"H-hey..." Chikorita said a bit shyly.

"Hello to you too." said Pikachu, somewhat relieved by the fact he wasn't the only shy one.

"So!" Shinx piped up, "Now that the intros are out of the way, how long until the ceremony thing starts, Pip?"

"Why do you keep calling me that?" Piplup said, sighing, "But alright, they said they were going to start any minute now.."

As if on cue, the Pokemon began to assemble in scattered patterns inside the Cherry Blossom circle.

"That's it! Come on guys!" Piplup shouted. The group found a place inside the circle and sat down, and in the centre was a single Cherry Blossom, which Pikachu hadn't seen before. It was adorned with all kinds of decorations, from streamers to coloured objects and other assorted stuff.

Pikachu didn't have time to ask questions, since he could hear someone singing. The singing grew in intensity until everyone, including himself, was singing along to a tune that he never knew, but at the same time felt familiar.

* * *

_"La lalala la lalala la lalala la,_

_La lalala la la lala laaa laaaa,_

_Lalala lala la la lala lala,_

_Lalalalala lala, la la la, lala laaaa..."_

_"If our friends come, should we go out  
to the back alley, walk with them, swaying, swinging, strolling?  
Hey, look out your window  
at the airplane leaving clouds behind it  
That was the time when a draft blew on an Indian summer day..."_

"Exploring the town on an early afternoon  
I feel shy taking your hands  
That was the time when I felt happiness, from such a small thing..."

"Oooo-wooh, that was a happy, peach-coloured season..."

La lalala la lalala la lalala la,

_La lalala la la lala laaa laaaa,_

_Lalala lala la la lala lala,_

_Lalalalala lala, la la la, lala laaaa..._

_Lalalalala lala, la la la, lala laaaa..."_

"Right now, we're thinking  
We've grown up just a little  
And want to feel happiness from such small things..."

"Oooo-wooh, it was a lively, cherry blossom-coloured season..."

_"La lalala la lalala la lalala la,_

_La lalala la la lala laaa laaaa,_

_Lalala lala la la lala lala,_

_Lalalalala lala, la la la, lala laaaa..."_

_"La lalala la lalala la lalala la,_

_La lalala la la lala laaa laaaa,_

_Lalala lala la la lala lala,_

_Lalalalala lala, la la la, lala laaaa..."_

* * *

The song made Pikachu feel happy. It was a very warming, peaceful song that stirred up good memories, and at the same time it made him feel a little sad. Nevertheless he enjoyed it.

He and Shinx stayed at the Cherry Blossom Festival well until the evening, when a cookout was held and the two thoughtfully helped themselves to the refreshments. This of course virtually eliminated the need to make supper, which was good, since by the time Pikachu and Shinx got home they were too tired to do anything else. They whole group walked back to cul-de-sac before bidding each other good night and heading home. Upon entering the house Pikachu and Shinx were tired, but happy.

"Another good festival as usual, eh Sparky?" Shinx asked Pikachu. "But then again you're new here, so I guess you wouldn't know that." He laughed, and Pikachu did too.

Shinx yawned. "Well, I guess it's time to hit the hay for tonight. I still can't believe we were at the festival so long.

They said goodnight to each other and went into their bedrooms. Pikachu crawled onto his bed, and thought back on the day's events.

_That day turned out better than expected,_ Pikachu thought, _I not only was allowed to stay at Shinx's house, but he took me on a walk, which turned into a festival... And better still, I think he finally thinks me as a friend..._ Pikachu then quietly slipped into the blackness of sleep, with the firm thought that he had made a lifelong friend.

* * *

A/N: What a lovely little festival they attended, and it gave me a chance to introduce you to the other supporting characters, the lovable if a tad hopped-up Torchic, and the shy yet calm Chikorita. More will be revealed in the next chapter, so stay tuned! And if you're wondering about that song, it's a slightly edited and English-translated version of the song Cherry Blossom Colour Season. (I do not own the song, I simply translated and edited the lyrics slightly, all original permissions belong to Namco) That's all I have to say now, so read, enjoy, and please review!

Fare thee well!

-gl1m0


	6. Meeting the Family

A/N: Alright, Chapter 6 is finally ready for your enjoyment. Just before reading, I want to let you know that the current lack of feedback is rather disappointing. :( Without any reviews of some kind I can't really know if the story's any good or not. So, please consider this while reading please. And don't forget to enjoy it of course!

* * *

Let's be honest here, Pikachu did NOT like the idea of getting up the next day. Last night's Cherry Blossom Festival, although fun and enjoyable, proved to be very tiring. All Pikachu wanted to do was sleep in all day. He felt like doing nothing else whatsoever.

Shinx wasn't going to grant him that liberty.

He slowly strolled into Pikachu's room, somehow not tired, and stood beside where Pikachu was sleeping on the bed.

"Yoo-hoo, Sparky." Shinx said in a sing-song tone, "Nap-time's over, so haul your furry little bottom out of bed and come on!"

Pikachu bared stirred, mumbling something that sounded along the lines of "Go jump off a cliff, Shinx."

Shinx smirked devilishly. "Alright, have it your way."

It should be slightly obvious what happens next, but just so it's beyond a shadow of a doubt, Shinx ended up blasting Pikachu with a quick pulse of electricity which, understandably, made him jump into the air and land on the ground with a small thud.

"Are you awake now?" Shinx said, giving a deceptively cheerful smile as he walked over to where Pikachu was lying.

Pikachu looked up at Shinx while on the floor. "Was that necessary?" He moaned, and gave Shinx a dirty look.

"Yep." Shinx said, still grinning. "And it worked a lot better than I expected." He added, and then turned to leave.

An sneaky idea flashed into Pikachu's mind. "Oh, I'm SURE it did." He said, smiling devilishly.

He picked up a pillow that had fallen on the floor with him, and, in a flash, tossed it with powerful force at Shinx, who was caught completely off-guard.

The resulting impact hurled Shinx across the room, and he landed just short of hitting the wall.

Shinx stood up, then flashed a piercing glare at Pikachu. "Oh, no you did NOT!" He shouted.

Shinx immediately picked up the pillow with his teeth, then expertly slung it like a Frisbee at Pikachu. Like a a saw-blade it spun through the air before connecting with Pikachu's forehead, knocking him down as if someone pushed him. Hard.

The fight continued for at least 3 more minutes before they finally decided to call a truce.

"At least you're not tired anymore!" Shinx commented with a laugh.

Pikachu groaned, still a bit sore from the hit he took. "So how come you're not tired?" He asked.

"One word," Shinx replied, "Coffee."

They finally sat down for breakfast, a plate full of waffles, although Pikachu was still sour.

"Ah come now! Don't be like that!" Shinx said, taking a bite of his waffle. "So what if I woke you up early, don't you remember what we were gonna do today?"

Pikachu thought for a moment, but he could not remember. "No, what?" Pikachu said at last, a bit confused.

Shinx rolled his eyes. "Aww, come on! I told you last night!"

Pikachu gave Shinx a blank stare.

"Ugh..." groaned Shinx, "Today I arranged for all of us, that's You, Me, Piplup, Torchic and Chikorita, to go on a tour around the downtown area. Ring a bell?"

Pikachu thought hard, but could not gather his thoughts. All of last night was a blur to him. He shook his head, feeling silly that he forgot such an important thing.

Shinx sighed. "Look, the point is that I woke you up early so we would have more time to do things around town! This place is bigger than you think!"

Pikachu nodded in understanding. "Right, can we not bicker about this and just go do it instead of sitting here while you make such a big deal out of it?"

"I am NOT." Shinx replied sharply. "I'm simply annoyed that you forgot all about it when I told you SPECIFICALLY that us and the gang were going out today."

Pikachu held up his arms defensively. "Okay, okay, I take your point, can we just go now?"

"Now?" Shinx asked, bewildered. "While we're eating our breakfast? What, you just wanna leave it here to rot or something?"

"N-No! Not like that!" Pikachu spat out, feeling kinda stupid. "I meant AFTER we finish eating... After... Yeah..."

Shinx stared at Pikachu for a minute, then finally said, "So are you gonna finish your waffles Sparky? Or should I take them off your hands?"

Pikachu didn't need to be told twice. He picked up his fork and began eating, but while doing so noticed how difficult it is for Shinx to eat properly at a table, considering he has no real arms or hands. He simply ate the waffles right off his plate, no fork, knife, and understandably he had put no syrup on the waffles. Pikachu didn't know why he didn't notice this before. Perhaps he did, but simply couldn't remember. But more importantly why was he thinking of this now? He shrugged off the feeling with little more than a "Ehh..."

They both soon finished their meal and promptly set off from the house. They walked to the edge of the street, a few dozen feet from the house, and Shinx then said, "Alright, this is where they said they would meet us..."

Pikachu cast several glances around the cul-de-sac, looking to see if Piplup and the others were around, but they weren't.

"So... Where are they?" Pikachu finally asked.

Shinx shrugged. "I dunno. They're not here yet."

Pikachu started to feel a bit antsy. "Well, when WILL they get here?"

"Hmm, maybe not for another half-hour at least, I always like to leave early." Shinx said coolly.

Pikachu was anything but cool.

"What? You dragged- No, _ZAPPED_ me out of bed, and got in a fight with me, AND got in an argument with me over not remembering we were all going out today, and _NOW_ you're saying they won't be here for another half-hour?"

"Mmmm... Maybe two." Shinx added, still maintaining an unnatural calmness, as if begging Pikachu to go berserk. And he did.

A few good blows were exchanged before again calling a truce.

Pikachu scowled. _I can't believe Shinx, he's such a sadistic little... Whatever he is._ He thought to himself, a little sore from a headbutt he received.

As if he just read Pikachu's mind, Shinx defended himself. "Hey, come now. I'm just never late. Should a day come that I am late there oughta be a clean rain in the City." He said with a smirk. Pikachu couldn't help but snicker at that comment.

"Plus it wasn't me who threw the first punch now was it?" Shinx added, glaring at Pikachu.

Pikachu just rolled his eyes. "I just can't believe you, all that crud earlier was pretty much pointless..."

Shinx remained silent. He saw no need to continue this conversation. Neither did Pikachu.

And so they waited for what seemed like around 45 minutes until Piplup, Torchic and Chikorita appeared at last.

"There you are Shinx!" Piplup called out. "You're early... As usual."

Shinx couldn't help but flash a smug grin towards Pikachu, who glared at him in response.

"What's wrong with you Pikachu?" Torchic suddenly asked, noticing Pikachu and Shinx exchanging looks. "You look really tired, did you get enough sleep?"

Pikachu just gave a blank stare. "Not as much as I wanted." He said monotonously, flashing a sharp glance at Shinx.

"Well... Um... You know you should have at least 8 hours of sleep a night," Chikorita said softly. "M-maybe it was just the festival last night? It made us all really, really tired... So..."

"Yeah, that's probably just it." Piplup said. "Don't worry, you'll be wide awake before long."

"Don't mind Sparky," Shinx cut in, "He's just mad that I woke him up early so we can be out here, isn't that right Sparky?"

Pikachu said nothing, but instead gave Shinx a dirty look that signalled to everyone there that Pikachu was none too pleased about being woken up early.

"Are we just gonna go yet?" Pikachu asked impatiently.

"Not yet," Piplup replied, "Plusle and Minun said they wanted to come too, I couldn't just say no. Plus they wanted to meet Pikachu too."

"Those two hoarders are coming? Please tell me we're not stopping at one of their 'hunting grounds' again..." said Shinx.

"No no no, I promise you that's not what we're doing," Piplup assured him, "If anything they want to tour the town with us."

"Oh, I just can't wait..." Shinx said sarcastically.

"Guys! Hey, guys! We're coming!" a pair of tinny voices called out.

Shinx cringed slightly. "Oh nerts... This is gonna be bad..." He said, sounding slightly afraid.

Pikachu wondered how Shinx could possibly be afraid the moment he saw where the voices came from. Two small Pokemon were rushing over to them. One of them was mouse-like, much like himself Pikachu noted, with light-yellow fur, red-tipped ears and paws, and with plus symbols on it's cheeks, as well as one for a tail. The other one looked exactly the same, only with blue-tipped ears and paws, and a minus symbols on its cheeks and tail. Pikachu assumed that they were both the Plusle and Minun Piplup was talking about. Both looked very happy and excited, so Pikachu didn't understand why Shinx disliked them. But that soon became apparent when they came over to the group.

"Hey hey Shinx!" Plusle said cheerfully, running over to give Shinx a hug.

Pikachu knew Shinx would blast them away with a Spark, just like he did when he tried to hug him, or at least try to resist it. But he was very surprised when Shinx did _neither. _Rather, he simply stood there, looking hopeless as Plusle, followed by Minun hugged him joyously.

"Oh, come on now Mr. Grumps-a-lot!" Minun said, "Put that frown upside down!"

"Yeah!" Plusle chipped in, eager to just be standing there. "How's our favourite cousin doing?"

Pikachu gawked at Shinx. "These two are your COUSINS?"

"Grk! Well, twice removed anyway..." Shinx said weakly.

"We are not twice removed!" Plusle and Minun shouted in unison. "You tell everyone that even though it's not true!"

"To be honest I'd much rather you be 1 million times removed." Shinx said, chuckling slightly.

"Say what you want!" Minun chimed, still in a very happy mood, "We know you still love us!"

Piplup stood between Shinx his cousins. "Alright, that's enough of that, let's please get on with our little 'adventure', alright?"

"Whee! Adventure!" Plusle and Minun both cried joyously, and the group began to walk down the sidewalk toward the town.

While doing so Pikachu pulled Shinx back slightly from the group. "_So, what was all that?_" Pikachu whispered to Shinx, in order to make sure the others didn't hear.

"_I HATE my cousins, is that not obvious?_" Shinx whispered back.

"_But why?_" Pikachu asked, "_They seem really nice..._"

"_That's just it!_" Shinx hissed, "_They're TOO nice, they're ALWAYS so happy! It creeps me out TO NO END!_"

"_I kind of agree with you actually, they do creep me out a little..._" Pikachu said. "_And what was this you mentioned about 'hoarding'? Are they collectors?_"

"_Don't even get me started-_"

"Hey! Look!" Plusle shouted suddenly. Pikachu and Shinx both looked up to see Plusle rushing over to a spot on the ground where a small rock lay. Plusle picked it up, brushed off the dirt, then suddenly squealed with happiness.

"It's a new rock! Look at it, it's really pretty!" He shouted happily, and hurried back to show everyone.

Pikachu stepped forward to get a good look at the stone in Plusle's paw. It didn't look like anything special, save for a few patches of moss.

"I don't get it..." Pikachu said, scratching his head. "It looks like an ordinary rock to me."

"Is it?" Plusle said, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Watch."

Plusle stood back, then suddenly hurled the stone at the pavement, and, surprisingly enough, it cracked and split apart, revealing the inside. The inside was significantly more different than the outside. Inside showed rather beautiful looking blue and red crystals that sparkled in the sunlight. Pikachu was amazed and moved by the natural beauty he saw, as was Piplup, Torchic, Chikorita, and of course Plusle. The only ones unimpressed were Minun and Shinx.

"Pfft, so it's a rock with stuff inside of it, big deal. It can't hold a candle to ANY of my seashells!" Minun said blankly.

"Your seashells? Ptooey! I've seen better shells on common snails! My rock collection is bigger AND better than yours by a thousand miles!" Plusle fired back.

Minun started fuming. "You... You take that back you jerk!" He shouted angrily.

"Never" Plusle yelled, and Minun tackled him with a yell and began fighting.

As they tussled, both physically and verbally, Shinx gave Pikachu a look that seemed to say "Does that answer your question?" and Pikachu nodded in response.

Piplup sighed. "What a day this is gonna turn out to be."

* * *

A/N: So there you have it! Plusle and Minun are Shinx's happy-go-lucky, if hugely competitive cousins. I added them in to give Shinx a weakness, something that can easily bring him to his knees when necessary. If I didn't, well, then the guy will probably have a run of the place! Anyways, please read, enjoy and review! And I'll add Chapter 7 sometime soon.

Fare thee well!

-gl1m0


	7. Out On The Town

A/N: Before I start, I would to thank both bbarlitt123 and Eevee5501892 for the good reviews! I promise you that I'll update this story with new chapters as often as possible. And sorry for seeming put off for the lack of reviews until now, I guess I'm just a little impatient sometimes. :P Ah well, enough of my whining, Chapter 7 is here at last! It's shorter compared to the last one, but it still fills it's part. Enjoy! :)

* * *

Plusle and Minun's little scuffle continued for at least five more minutes... With no sign of stopping. Piplup's cries for them to knock it off were met with no response, aside from more fighting. Her attempts to separate them also backfired, as she got hit in the stomach by a stray rock that Plusle had attempted to throw at Minun.

Doubled over, she weakly said, "Shinx... These are _YOUR_ cousins, can you please deal with them?"

Shinx grumbled a bit. "Fine, I will." He said, but silently added, "I've wanted to do this for a long time..."

Pikachu looked on as Shinx slowly approached the brawling cousins, almost getting hit by another stray rock in the process. Somehow Pikachu knew what was going to happen next, and as such wasn't surprised when it did.

Shinx suddenly electrified his body with a great flash and tackled both Plusle and Minun with full force. They were both sent reeling for a few feet and landed on the pavement with a dull thud.

"Are you gonna play nice now?" Shinx asked, standing over the dizzy forms of his cousins.

Although clearly upset, they both managed a collective "Yes."

Shinx then made the awful mistake of turning his back on them and returning to the group. A mistake it was, as Plusle and Minun both pulled themselves off the ground, looked at each, and said, "Truce." They then both proceeded to charge up a large ball of electricity and shot it directly at Shinx with pinpoint accuracy, and that in turn sent Shinx flying head over heels for several feet and hit the ground. Hard.

Pikachu rushed to Shinx's side. "Holy...! Are you okay?"

Shinx managed to look up at Pikachu, and said, "I just got ambushed by a pair of vengeful cousins with a ball of lightning. Do you think I'm okay?"

"Okay, okay, I just though I'd ask..." Pikachu said sheepishly.

Plusle and Minun had clearly made up, as they were hopping about, clearly happy about getting back at their cousin. "We totally whupped him!" Plusle shouted joyously. "Yeah!" Minun answered, just as excited, "We whupped him GOOD!"

Shinx slowly raised himself off the ground and glared at his cousins. "Do you see why I hate my cousins NOW?" He said to Pikachu.

"Oh yes... They really are sneaky little things aren't they?" Pikachu responded.

Shinx sighed heavily. "You know it. I swear, every single freaking day of the year..." He started saying, but then trailed off into a mumble, still glaring at the cheering Plusle and Minun.

"Alright guys!" Piplup called out, and everyone turned their attention on her. "Seriously! We're supposed to be doing something? Like, oh, I don't know... Going around town maybe?"

She glared at both Plusle and Minun. "And you two should stop arguing about rocks or shells or whatever, it's just childish!" Plusle and Minun both looked upset, and quickly apologized.

"And Shinx," Piplup said, now turning her attention to Shinx, "I don't think it was necessary to use Spark on Plusle and Minun."

Shinx shrugged. "Seemed necessary to me."

"Ugh, now look..." Piplup began, but couldn't find the right words to say, and let the issue be.

"Can we just go to town now? And stop letting ourselves get distracted?" She said. Torchic and Chikorita both nodded in agreement. Pikachu also did.

"Hmm, fine. Let's just go." Shinx said flatly.

"Okay Pip, whatever you say..." Plusle and Minun both said.

Piplup narrowed her eyes. "Don't call me that. Please."

And with that, the entire group managed to get itself in gear, and continued on their trek to the downtown area.

It actually wasn't a very long walk to the downtown area, considering that the road was mostly straight, and that Plusle and Minun challenged each other to a race, and so the others had to run to catch up.

They finally did make it to the downtown though, and they then got into the tricky decision of where to go first. Plusle and Minun made that decision for themselves.

"Ooh! Look! It's the candy shop!" Plusle shouted joyously, pointing at the store just a small ways down the street. He and Minun began bounding toward it while everyone else groaned, except for Torchic, who seemed pretty on-board with the idea, and he went rushing to the store as well.

"Well, I guess their day is already planned out." Piplup remarked.

"Yeah, thank Arceus they're gone. I can finally start enjoying myself." Shinx said, sounding very relieved.

"But won't all that sugar make them both a _bigger_ problem than before?" said Pikachu, slightly concerned.

Shinx frowned. "Yeah, good point. But by the time their sugar rush comes and goes we should be FAR away by then."

"I suppose you're right..." Pikachu said, "But where else are we gonna go?"

"Well, what about the park?" Piplup suggested, "It's really nice out, so why not go there?"

"Sounds nice," Chikorita said, "I love the park."

"Alright, I don't have anything better to do I guess..." said Shinx.

Pikachu simply nodded and said, "I like that idea, a walk in the park would be a nice start I guess."

And so, leaving Plusle, Minun, and Torchic to their candy dreams, the group walked off main street onto a small back road, and after roughly 3 minutes of walking, they finally came to the park's front gate, which was open slightly.

"Well, here we are!" Piplup proclaimed.

"Wow, that's one heck of a... Gate." Pikachu said, cracking a small grin.

"That's just the entrance, Sparky." Shinx said, rolling his eyes. "The actual park is just inside."

"Come on! Let's go in already!" Chikorita said out loud, which surprised the others since she never spoke out like that.

"Eh heh, sorry." She said sheepishly.

"Never mind that Chikorita," Piplup said, "Come on then."

Piplup led the group right up the rather large gate, and she pushed the door open.

When the gate swung open to reveal what was behind it, Pikachu almost fell down. The park was more wonderful than anything he could have imagined. Words could do it no justice, but it was to Pikachu a heaven on earth. The grass was bright green, there was a huge pallet of colourful flowers that seemed to go on forever, and there was a tranquil little lake that was as clear as crystal. Pikachu was unable to compare to anything else what he saw there. Everyone else didn't seem to be amazed as Pikachu, but that was merely because they were used to it.

"It's great, isn't it?" Piplup asked Pikachu when she noticed his reaction.

Pikachu didn't respond in any way, he simply stood there with his mouth wide, and his ears twitching slightly.

"Heheh, I'm guessing that's a yes?" Piplup said, giggling.

"Uh, Sparky?" Shinx asked, looking slightly concerned, "Are you feeling alright?"

Again, Pikachu produced no response, aside from a low mumble.

"I think he's broken." Shinx remarked.

Piplup laughed. "Maybe it was a bad idea to bring him here! His poor little mind probably can't handle this much beauty!"

"Well he IS from the City after all. Beauty is practically an extinct species over there." Shinx said, cracking his usual smug grin.

"Well come on Pikachu!" Piplup said, "Let's go!"

Pikachu still wouldn't budge, so Piplup has to quite literally push him through the gates.

Just as Shinx went to follow them until Chikorita stopped him. "W-Wait!" She called out.

Shinx froze and then slowly turned back towards her. "Yeah? What is it?" He said, a look of impatience on his face all-too-obvious.

"Uhhh... Shinx... Well... Would you..." She started saying, then trailed off.

"What do you wanna say? C'mon, spit it out already!" Shinx said, starting to grow more and more impatient.

"I-I... Can we... Umm..." Chikorita started to say, but her voice became shaky and weak, apparently afraid to say anything.

Shinx stood there, waiting, but was clearly starting to get annoyed.

"Oh... Never mind..." Chikorita said, sounding despondent.

Shinx sighed, then turned away to follow Piplup, who was _still _pushing Pikachu.

Chikorita just stood where she was, looking disgusted with herself. _Oh, I blew it... _She thought, _Why didn't I just ask? I'm horrible at this... _

Letting out a heavy sigh she slowly started after the rest of the group, still hazing herself over missing her chance.

* * *

A/N: Hmm... It seems Chikorita has something to say to Shinx but is far too nervous to say. What does this mean? We'll all find out soon enough. And remember Plusle and Minun's candy shop raid? THAT will produce an interesting story, I assure you. XD And is Pikachu really broken? All these unanswered will be answered... Eventually. Until then, please remember to Read, Enjoy, and Review, and I'll get Chapter numero 8 up soon!

Fare thee well!

-gl1m0


	8. A Walk in the Park

A/N: Okay. Okay. I know. It has been a month since the last update, but I'll sum up the reasons for that in a few simple words: School, computer troubles, and short writing periods. But don't fret, I haven't forgotten about the story or anything. In fact, I have a new one that I'm working on, there is a preview in the A/N at the end of this chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

"Are you awake now, Sparky?" Shinx said, who was examining Pikachu closely.

Pikachu's face was still frozen in a state of complete amazement. The beauty of the park had been too much for his mind to handle.

He had been laid on one of the park benches, almost directly in the middle of the park, and both Shinx and Piplup had been trying to wake him up from his trance for almost twenty minutes.

Piplup sighed. "This isn't working."

Shinx rolled his eyes. "Well no duh, Sherlock."

They looked down at Pikachu lying on the bench, still stuck with that stunned look on his face. Both Piplup and Shinx were at their wits end.

Suddenly Shinx had an idea.

"I have something that might work though…" He said, grinning devilishly.

"I know what you're thinking Shinx, and you can forget about it." Piplup said, frowning.

Shinx sighed. "C'mon Pip! Can we do much else, outside of taking him to the hospital?"

"Well… We could… But, maybe… He'll just come to his senses eventually…?" Piplup said, looking at Pikachu expectantly. Again, he did not stir from his trance.

"And how long will that take?" Shinx said, giving Piplup a sharp stare, "Look, can I just zap the guy and we can move on? This is ridiculous!"

Piplup started to protest but in her mind she knew it was best to just let Shinx handle it. It was better then bringing Pikachu than a hospital in any case.

And with that Shinx proceeded to (once again) electrify Pikachu with a thunderous jolt. But, oddly enough Pikachu barely moved from the massive jolt. Thankfully both Piplup and Shinx's fears were alleviated when Pikachu blinked and began to stir.

"Wh… What happened last night…?" Pikachu mumbled groggily.

"You took one look at this park and must have lost yourself." Shinx informed him bluntly.

Piplup sighed with relief. "Thank goodness... Are you feeling alright Pikachu?"

Pikachu rubbed his eyes as if he'd been asleep. "Urgh… Yeah, I'm fine. A little dizzy but fine."

"And you thought it was a bad idea?" Shinx said to Piplup, smiling coyly.

Piplup rolled her eyes. "Oh stop…"

Pikachu climbed off the bench, staggered a bit, then began to take in the surroundings around him, looking up at the clear blue sky and blazing sun, and then looked out across the field of bright-green grass, with flowers of almost every possible kind making up lovely little gardens here and there, and there was a beautiful pond with water as clear as glass that glistened and twinkled in the afternoon sun.

Pikachu swooned, still unbelieving at the wonderful sight before him.

"You'll get used to it." Shinx chipped in, more or less interrupting Pikachu's 'zone'. "The novelty does kinda die off after a while and then it kind of starts to suck— Oof!"

Piplup sharply jabbed Shinx in the side, scowling. _"Don't say that to him!"_ She hissed silently.

"Err, of course it's still a wonderful, wonderful place to be, oh yes indeed…" Shinx said with a hint of annoyance in his voice, and he glared at Piplup.

Pikachu didn't respond, rather, he began walking down the path through the park, and both Piplup and Shinx hurried after him.

* * *

Meanwhile on the other side of the park, Chikorita lay relaxing at the side of the lake, still thinking back to what happened earlier.

_I knew I should've just said it…_ She thought hopelessly. _Well… I know I shouldn't like him, but… I don't know what it is about him… He's just… Ohh… _

Chikorita sighed. She gave a quick flick of the leaf on her head, which produced a pleasing aroma that spread around her.

Soothed and relaxed, she started humming a few notes from the song they sang yesterday, then soon began to sing a few lines from the song.

"_Exploring the town on an early afternoon,  
I feel shy taking your hands,  
That was the time when I felt happiness, from such a small thing..."_

Chikorita breathed deeply. That was her favorite line from the song. To her, it illustrated how she feels most of the time. Not that anyone understood that of course.

She gazed at her reflection in the mirror-like pond, and contemplated the day. She lay for what seemed like an hour until she heard voices from somewhere nearby.

"This place is just wonderful…" One of the voices said. Chikorita recognized almost immediately that the voice belonged to Pikachu.

_Pikachu's awake? That's good to know._ She thought. _Well, I guess I should meet up with them… And maybe if I can work up the guts I'll ask Shinx… But wait, I can't do that in front of everyone! It'll be so embarrassing! For me and Shinx! Oh… Ah forget it…_

She shook the thought from her head, stood off the ground and stretched her legs a bit before walking off to join with the group.

* * *

Pikachu wandered on through the park, looking all around him at the scenery as he, Shinx and Piplup walked down the path. They were not the only ones in the park of course, there were Cherrim sunning themselves, Rattata racing each other across the fields, a few Roselia enjoying themselves here and there, among many others. The whole park was alive with activity.

"This place is just wonderful..." Pikachu said, his mouth wide open and his eyes sparkling.

Shinx sidled up beside Pikachu. "Y'know, there are other things to see and do besides here." He said, "But of course if you wanna stay here for a little while, then that's fine too..."

Pikachu didn't respond. He continued to walk along at a constant pace, while Shinx and Piplup tried to keep up with him.

At that moment Chikorita appeared over a nearby hill, walking towards them. "Hey guys, I'm coming." She called out.

"Oh there you are!" Piplup responded. "Where were you?"

Chikorita came up to the group. "Just... relaxing," She said somewhat apprehensively. "Yeah, that's it. Relaxing. Nothing else at all."

Something told Piplup that Chikorita was acting stranger than usual, but she shrugged off the feeling with little thought.

"Well... I do have some good news," said Piplup, smiling. "Pikachu is back to his senses..." She looked at Pikachu roaming single-mindedly around the park, with Shinx on his heels trying to talk sense into him.

"...In a 'special' way." Piplup finished, sighing.

"Oh, that's... good?" Chikorita said tilting her head confusedly.

They both looked back at where Pikachu was wandering around, and saw that he was chatting with a few Rattata. Shinx was there also but didn't appear to be involved in the conversation. Both Piplup and Chikorita couldn't hear what they were talking about, so they walked over to see Pikachu, Shinx and the Rattata.

"Hey, you guys." Piplup said to them as they approached, "What's going on over here?"

Pikachu turned to face her. "Oh, hey Piplup. I was just talking to these guys about racing, since they were just doing it a few minutes ago."

"That's right," one of the Rattata said, "And he wondered if he could be in our next race, 'cause he thinks he's real fast."

"If that's true, I'll give him that." said Shinx, "He beat me in a little 'race' one time, even though I had a good head start."

"Isn't that a fact?" another one of the Rattata said, "But we are pretty fast ourselves you know."

Pikachu laughed. "Ha! That sounds like a stretch! Let's prove it then!"

"Alright then! You're on!" The Rattata shot back. "We'll do the race thing in 20 minutes, alright? Meet us by the big oak tree in the middle of the park, and we'll see who's the speedy one!"

"Count on it!" Pikachu said, already worked up.

The Rattata dashed off, and Pikachu turned to the rest of the group. Shinx was fairly calm, if slightly surprised, and Piplup and Chikorita both had their mouths open.

"Whoa... You just jumped right into that..." Piplup said, astounded at Pikachu's determination.

Chikorita seemed just as shocked. "You...you... Wow..."

"You got guts Sparky." Shinx said, slightly amazed. "Do you even know who they were?"

"I dunno, does it really matter?" Pikachu responded, suddenly feeling afraid.

"I suppose you wouldn't know..." Piplup said, sighing. "Those guys are the _fastest _Pokemon to grace this town. They once did a full lap of the park, in less than 30 seconds!"

"R-Really?" Pikachu said, stammering. Now he was feeling nervous.

Shinx nodded. "They are the real deal. No kidding."

"Ooogh, but I should have a pretty good chance, right...?" said Pikachu, a little ill.

Piplup shook her head. "I'd say you better start praying to Arceus right now."

Pikachu facepalmed. _What the heck did I just do?_ He thought. _I had no idea! Now I'm gonna get whipped... but I can't just quit... Oh... What do I do...?_

* * *

A/N: Yes... What WILL Pikachu do? And will Chikorita ever tell Shinx her true feelings? Blargh... SO. MANY. CLIFFHANGERS. Don't worry, I'll answer those questions soon enough. But for now, I have a surprise for you... A preview from another Pokemon fanfic in the works! It's based on a new region and Pokemon of my devising, so enjoy the preview!

* * *

Joey held his badge high and admired it. His victory over the Scarlet City Gym Leader, Teresa, was fresh in his mind. He had been walking along Route 153 and had decided to take a rest and reminisce over his success. Beaming, he turned down to his faithful companion, Nessea, and patted it on the head.

"I couldn't have done it without you..." Joey said, smiling.

"Sea! Sea!" The Pokemon chimed happily, bouncing up and down.

Joey placed his recently won Torch Badge into his Trainer Case, and stuffed it into his bag. Slinging the bag over his shoulder he called down to Nessea.

"Well, that's enough celebrating for now I guess..." He said, "Come on Nessea, time to get back to-"

_Piriririri!_ At that moment his PokeCell began ringing madly. Joey pulled the device out of his pocket, flipped it open, then answered it.

"Hello? Who is this?" Joey asked, unsure who would be calling him at this time.

"Joey? Joey are you there?" A familiar voice asked.

"Carly!" Joey said, happy to hear her. "Yes I'm here, what is it? You sound kinda antsy..."

"Well, um... you see..." Carly began to say, but another voice in the background took over.

"Is that Joey on the phone?" another familiar voice said, "Let me talk to him, it's important!"

Joey could her scattered voices and static as the phone on the other line was passed to the other person.

"H-Hello? Joey!" the voice called out, clearly distressed. Joey immediately recognized the voice as Professor Spruce.

"Professor?" said Joey, surprised at his urgency. "What's going on? What's wrong?"

"I don't have long to explain," the Professor answered, "But do you remember Aron?"

Joey's thoughts turned to that cute little Steel-type he first met and befriended not long ago, in the Little Wood just before he saved his friends life...

He shook his head to clear himself, then answered. "Uhh... Yeah, why? What happened?"

"That's just it..." the Professor went on, his starting to strain, "Aron... is missing. We can't find him anywhere."

Joey's mouth dropped open. "W-What...?" he sputtered in disbelief.

"We thought he was just hiding, or perhaps wandered off somewhere... Until we found out that my research documents were stolen as well. Here, I'll send you a picture of the lab..."

The PokeCell's E-mail alert chimed to life, and sure enough it was from Spruce. Joey opened the mail and when he saw the picture he both was shocked and outraged.

The picture showed a section of the lab completely trashed. The window was broken, papers were strewn about here and there, among other things. But what caught Joey's attention was a large 'A' symbol written on the wall with a deep-red color.

Joey clenched the device in his hands and gritted his teeth. "Alpha..." He muttered angrily.

* * *

A/N: How do you like it? Please rate and review and I promise to get Chapter 9 up as soon as possible, but I can't know when. What with school and all. :(


	9. A Real Rat Race

A/N: Yippee-ki-yay, chapter 9 is here to-day! (FINALLY.) XD Now, silly rhyming aside, feel free to read onward and enjoy! Oh, and I just to thank all you guys for your continued feedback! It really is nice to hear everyone's thoughts on the story! ^_^ (And by the way, that new story previewed in the last chapter will be out soon. Haven't decided on a name yet, but I'll be sure to tell you when it's out. And sorry that all this is taking so long, it's just school and all that crud delaying it. But fear not! As it's still in the works!) So, let me warn you that this chapter is at least TWICE as long as other chapters. Why? To avoid needless cliffhangers and make it all the more worth waiting for. Enjoy! :D

* * *

And so it began. Pikachu had unknowingly challenged the fastest Pokémon in town, and now, he had little more than twenty minutes to reflect on what he had just done. Was he stupid? Bold? Maybe both? It was anyone's guess. He sat on the ground for several minutes, heavily regretting what he had just done and trying in vain to think up a solution.

Piplup, Shinx and Chikorita just stood there, watching on as Pikachu sat there on the ground looking hopeless, until Shinx decided to speak up.

"Hey, uh… Sparky?" He said, putting on a slightly sympathetic look, "You can just, y'know… Give up if you want, there's no shame in admitting that you can't do it-Oof!"

"Don't say that!" Piplup hissed, jabbing Shinx in the side, "You know he can't just quit, not after what he did! He'd be a laughing stock!"

"But, he… Nnrgh…" groaned Shinx, flashing a sharp glare at Piplup. He didn't want Pikachu to be publicly humiliated by losing, but quitting before the race even begins is kinda degrading, so Piplup had a point. Grumbling, he stepped back and argued no more.

"Oh, Pikachu…" Piplup said, sighing. She tried furiously to think up a possible solution, but in vain.

Things seemed pretty hopeless, at this rate Pikachu would not only lose, but his dignity would be shattered too. That was something he would have a heck of a time recovering from, if at all.

All this time, Chikorita was contemplating something. She couldn't sit down and do nothing like she usually does, now was no time to be a coward! Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward ahead of Shinx and Piplup, and stood rigidly in front of Pikachu.

Piplup and Shinx gave her a curious (almost bewildered) look, as never before had she come forward on her own during moments of high tension, like now. Chikorita ignored their stares and finally spoke up to Pikachu.

"Uhh… Pikachu?" She said, and Pikachu looked up at her, almost as surprised as Shinx and Piplup were.

"What now? More 'encouraging' advice? I don't need any, _thanks_." Pikachu said sharply.

"Well, urm… You know…" Chikorita tried to say, but her natural shyness was catching up with her, and she did not continue. Pikachu looked both upset and slightly confused as he sat on the ground looking up at her.

Chikorita finally cracked. Enough was enough. Nothing was going to hold her back now.

She whipped the leaf on her head so it slapped Pikachu across the cheek (almost electrocuting herself in the process) so hard that it sent him reeling.

"Show some backbone Pikachu! Look at yourself! You're pathetic!" Chikorita shouted.

Pikachu was stunned by the sudden attack, and it took him a moment to recover. "I can't help it…" He said in a distant tone, rubbing his sore cheek, "I'll lose for sure, I have no chance…"

"That's only what you think Pikachu!" Chikorita asserted, "But we think you'll win for sure! Totally! Right guys?"

Neither Piplup nor Shinx said anything. But that may have simply been because they were standing there with their mouths gaping wide open in shock. Chikorita glared at them menacingly when they did not respond , provoking them to quickly nod in agreement.

"So come on Pikachu!" Chikorita continued, "This is no time to wallow in self-pity! Get a hold of yourself you… you… Coward!" And she slapped Pikachu again.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, chill out Chikorita," Piplup said, having recovered from the shock of what transpired, and pulled Chikorita back from striking Pikachu. "That's taking it a bit too far isn't it? But you're still right… I… am so sorry Pikachu…"

Shinx decided to come forward as well. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry too, for being so unsupportive…" He said, clearly ashamed of himself. "Chiko's right, I really should be with you on this. You should too Pip."

"Yeah I think that's been established." Piplup said, rolling her eyes. "And stop with that dumb nickname will you please?"

Shinx just shrugged. "Well, what else am I gonna call you?"

"'Piplup' is fine. Thanks."

"Where's the fun in that name? It's boring!"

"It's my birth name and I like it a lot thank-you-very-much!"

"You don't want a nickname? None at all?"

"Let me make this clear: _NO_. End of story. No sequel."

"Not even a cute nickname?"

"Gragh! No nicknames _AT ALL! _HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY IT?"

"Ooh! I know! I'll call you _Pippy_! How's that sound?"

Pikachu and Chikorita couldn't help but burst out laughing, and Piplup gave Shinx an icy stare.

"It sounds to me like you getting your face caved in!" Piplup shouted angrily, and she immediately pounced on Shinx, hitting him mercilessly.

Of course, a quick Spark was all it took to get her off, but Piplup got right back up and kept attacking. They both continued to have at it while Chikorita stood by sighing and said, "Sometimes I wonder why I bother."

* * *

_Nine minutes before the race… _

Finally the fight between Piplup and Shinx ended, although tensions between them were still quite high. Pikachu and Chikorita ended up forcing them to make up, and after all that was settled, everyone decided on having a few last-minute training runs for Pikachu. Piplup volunteered to keep times, as she had happened to bring her stopwatch.

Pikachu and Piplup worked through the time trial run together. Pikachu would start at the lake, then run to a distant boulder, and back again. While they were planning this, Shinx and Chikorita sat by the lakeside watching them. Finally the practice begun, and Pikachu rocketed off for the distant boulder, Piplup timing him the whole way. While watching, Shinx and Chikorita had a little talk with each other about earlier.

"I must say… That was pretty gutsy of you to stand up like that, and quite literally slap some sense into ol' Sparky." Shinx said to Chikorita.

"Oh? Oh! Y-Yeah… I guess it was…" She replied shyly.

Shinx nodded. "It was. If you hadn't of done that… I'm not sure where we'd be but I'm sure Sparky would be skipping town the next chance he gets." He said with a gentle laugh, and smiled.

Chikorita blushed intensely and shied away, giggling. A thought suddenly flashed into her mind. Now was as good a time as ever.

"Umm… Shinx?" She asked softly, trying to keep calm.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Do you… remember earlier today? When I was going to ask you something…?" Chikorita said, her voice starting to break.

"Yes…?" Shinx replied, suddenly interested.

"Umm… Okay then… I was going to say if-"

At that moment she was interrupted by a distant shout, and everyone there turned to look at where the voice came from. It was one of the Rattata that Pikachu was going to race against, it had just come in running from somewhere nearby.

"Hey you guys!" The Rattata hollered, straddling up to the group, "Where's that.. Uhh… Whatshisname… Sparky feller of yours?"

"He's doing a lap right now!" Piplup called back in response, keeping an eye on the timer she was holding, "He should be back any second…" And no sooner had she said that Pikachu came zooming back, and Piplup clicked the stop button.

"…Hmm, fourteen and a half seconds… Not bad, not bad at all for a 300 meter round dash." Piplup said, making a mental note of Pikachu's time.

"Whew… That turned out real nice didn't it?" said Pikachu, panting softly. He turned and noticed the Rattata in standing nearby. "Uhh... Hey there." Pikachu said, chuckling nervously, "I take it the race is starting in a minute?"

"Yep, ya'll better believe it." The Rattata replied, "I see yer doing some practice runs. Pretty smart thing to do, ya know. It never hurts to hava good practice before a big race. Why, we've had a few go's ourselves around the park. Anyways, come on then! We're waiting on you!"

The Rattata sped off for the starting line, and Pikachu turned to his companions, sighing. "So... I guess this is it, then." Pikachu said.

"Yeah... Seems like it..." Piplup said back, feeling somewhat bad for him. "Do you think you're ready?"

"The question is, do _you_ think I'm ready?" Pikachu asked in response.

"Well of _course_ I do. And so do Shinx and Chikorita." Piplup said in a matter of factly tone.

"Yeah, we're right behind you all the way, Sparky!" said Shinx in agreement.

Chikorita nodded. "Umm... Yeah, me too!"

And with that, Pikachu began walking towards the starting line at the big oak tree, and Piplup followed.

"Well," Shinx said, standing up, "Let's go along then, we shouldn't keep 'em waiting on us."

As Shinx began following Pikachu, Chikorita stopped him.

"W-Wait!" She said, and Shinx turned around. "About... About that thing I was going to say-"

"Oh, right, that. Can it wait just a little while Chiko?" Shinx said reassuringly, "We'll talk about it after the race thing okay?"

Chikorita tried to say something, but she quietly agreed and began following Pikachu to the race's starting line as well.

_Damn it! I missed my chance... Argh... Just sad... I can encourage Pikachu to stand and fight but I can't even tell Shinx that I... Ohh... _She thought, trying hard to mask her disappointment.

Shinx flashed a curious look at Chikorita, then quickly looked away. _Somethings been up with her lately... _He thought._ She hasn't been acting herself, and what is it she always wants to say to me? Maybe I should ask her something after the race... _

Without much more thought on the subject, they both went to the starting line beneath the tree, where a crowd was already gathering.

_Yikes, must be like a dozen other Pokemon here. _Shinx thought,_ I don't think Sparky's gonna appreciate the extra attention if he loses._

_

* * *

_

Pikachu walked up to the starting line, but when he got there a crowd who had gathered there hushed up suddenly, then started whispering to one another. A lot of their comments were more than audible and pretty unsavory. _"Is he nuts?" "This will be fun to watch." "I almost feel bad for him..." _and _"This race is already over. And guess who won?"_were only a handful of things that Pikachu overheard. He tried not to show any fear, though it was not easy.

"Well, well, well, so Mr. Sparky here decides to show up." A voice from behind Pikachu said.

He spun around, and saw the Rattata troupe right there, four in total. One of them, clearly the leader, spoke up.

"Good day to you sir," He said, "The name's Ratsy. I must say, I'm glad that you showed up for the race dealio. Some of us were betting you wouldn't even show!"

"Is that so...? Eheheh..." Pikachu said, gulping.

"Oh yes," Ratsy went on, "But I knew that you would show anyway. Why? Because there was something about you that seemed so determined, so brave. And your friend backed you up there, so I wouldn't see a reason for you not to show!"

_Urk! _"Uh... Of course! I can stand a chance against you!" Pikachu said as confidently as possible.

"Eh, we'll see. Shall we get on with the race then, if you are ready?" Ratsy asked.

Pikachu gulped. Was he truly ready? In his mind, no. But that currently wasn't an option. So the only thing he could say was, "Yes. Ready as I'll ever be." _I hope._

"Wonderful, let's settle this, shall we?" Ratsy replied, and he signalled to his comrades. A scattered applause from the crowd was heard as they all took their places at the starting line, which was essentially a line painted onto the ground with chalk.

Pikachu got down on all fours and readied himself as best he could, as did the other Rattata. Moments later, the referee, a Sentret, stood beside the line of racers on its tail, and holding a small checkered flag. He then began speaking in a firm, yet squeaky tone.

"Racers! This will be a one-lap race. You will start here, at the big oak tree, and run all the way down to the lakeside, turn and run for the large boulder, and finally turn and run from there back to the starting line here. And remember, there will be no hitting, ramming or slapping others on purpose, or you will be disqualified. Get me?"

Pikachu and the Rattata nodded in understanding, and readied themselves. _Okay, this is it... _Pikachu thought, mentally preparing himself,_ No turning back, I gotta give it my all... _

He turned towards the crowd of Pokemon, and right there in the front row were his friends, Shinx, Piplup, and Chikorita, and they were cheering him on. Pikachu smiled brightly, now brimming with confidence, and he turned to stare straight ahead across the starting line.

_They're right, _He thought as the flag held by Sentret was lifted into the air,_ I can do this! I'll show everyone what I can do!_

"On your marks," Sentret said, holding the flag at its highest point that Sentret's tiny arms could allow, "Set... and..."

_Ready or not, here I go. _Pikachu thought as the flag was swiped like a sword down through the air.

The race had begun.

* * *

"_Go!" _

In what seemed like an instant, Pikachu and the Rattata zoomed away with rather startling speed. Within seconds they were already dozens of feet away from the starting line.

"Woah!" Piplup exclaimed when they dashed away, "That was... fast! So very fast!"

Shinx just rolled his eyes and watched the racers intently. The distance between them was increasing quickly, so he had a tough time making out who was who.

"I can see all them fine, but, at this distance I can't make heads or tails which one is Sparky... How 'bout you guys?" He asked.

Everyone strained their eyes to see properly, but could only make out five tiny dots rushing to the lake, with no way to tell who was who. Then Piplup noticed something.

"Hey, one of the racers is falling behind!" She said.

It was true. A small speck of a racer was seen to be lagging behind, but yet, they could not tell who it was. _I sure hope that isn't Pikachu... _Piplup thought nervously.

* * *

Pikachu blazed off the starting line, barely even hearing the Sentret say "Go!" The world around his vision became a blur, except for the spot directly in front of him: The Lake.

Paying no mind to the other racing Rattata, Pikachu stared straight ahead and continued to run as fast as his stamina will let him.

Eventually, the curiousity of seeing where he was in terms of placement go the best of him, and turned his head slightly to his sides, looking for the Rattata. They were nowhere in sight.

_Am I... winning? _Pikachu thought, his hope jumping. Somehow he was in front of the other Rattata. Or was he? When the lakeside was finally reached, Pikachu skidded into the direction of the boulder in the distance. While he was doing so he took a glance behind him. Only three Rattata were there, but where was the other other? Was it in front of Pikachu? But how?

Thankfully, Pikachu saw the fourth Rattata had lagged behind, and oddly enough seemed to be conceding defeat. _One less to worry about... _He thought as he sped off for the next checkpoint, at the large boulder.

* * *

"Hold the mayo..." muttered Shinx as he examined the racer that was lagging behind, "That's not Sparky! It's one of those Rattata!"

Piplup sighed with relief. "Phew... It must be getting tired or maybe- wait... Oh no..."

"What?" Shinx said confusedly, "What's the matter?"

"Don't you remember?" said Piplup, looking very worried, "What happened during that race last year?"

"So? What about-" Shin's eyes suddenly widened with fear. "Wait... _THAT_ trick? No... not again... Sparky doesn't stand a chance..."

* * *

Pikachu was already halfway to the rock, and he was leading the pack by a significant amount. Yet something didn't sit right with him. Looking behind him, he saw the remaining Rattata fall back one by one, as if they were quitting. But that seemed very 'off' to Pikachu.

_There's no way it can be this easy... No way... _Pikachu thought, starting to get worried. Something about the way the Rattata were acting seemed very suspicious, and it just didn't feel right. His fears were confirmed when he turned to sneak another look behind him, and saw something that made his heart stop.

The Rattata had managed to re-arrange themselves in a sort of V-formation, like migratory geese, and were running at a break-neck pace, almost too fast to see! _What the heck is th- _was all Pikachu could think before the Rattata formation dashed by him at twice the speed he was going, sending him reeling from the shock-wave. _Quick Attack! Times four! That's just not fair!_

Within seconds the Rattata reached the rock and began to head for the finish line before finally slowing to a normal speed, but now they had a huge lead.

_They slowed down now, but what's the use... _Pikachu thought, feeling hopeless, _They have a huge lead... I'll never catch up now... _

By now, Pikachu began to grow more and more tired as all that physical exertion caught up with him. He felt himself slowing down as his limbs got sorer and sorer before going almost numb from overwork. Panting, he slowed to a near-walking pace, still trying to force himself on to no avail.

_This is it... I'm done for... _Pikachu thought, his mind getting foggy from sheer exhaustion._ I... I did... my best though... But... I'm sorry... for letting ... you guys down... _Looking over, he saw his friends Shinx, Piplup, and Chikorita, still trying to cheer him on. But someone else familiar was there too. Three others to be exact...

* * *

Shinx, Piplup, and Chikorita could only watch as the Rattata got in formation and suddenly speed up dramatically and pass Pikachu within seconds, then reach the boulder and turn for the finish before slowing down.

The crowd exchanged a few gasps and surprised comments, and a few even applauded._ "What'd I tell ya?" _One member of the crowd said out loud, _"Poor little mouse got trumped." "That poor little thing." _Another said. _"What now? That Sparky guy is lookin' pretty tired." _A rather short one said.

Shinx just stood wide-eyed after the Rattata pulled their maneuver. "Unreal..." He said, he mouth dropped open.

"Yeah... Poor Pikachu..." Piplup said in response.

"Oh..." moaned Chikorita, "There must be something we can do...?"

"Don't get your expectations up. What can we do?" Shinx said bluntly.

"We... We can still have hope..." Chikorita replied quietly, "And we can still cheer him on..."

"I mean, besides that." said Shinx, rolling his eyes, "We've already done that, so what good will-" At that moment Shinx heard something that made his heart skip a beat.

"Shinx!" "Hey-hey-hey-hey-Cuz!" a pair of painfully familiar voices called out. And who else could it have been but Plusle and Minun. They were also followed by Torchic, strangely enough looking rather ill and moving slowly in a sharp contrast to the others. Plusle and Minun bounded over to the group in mere seconds and began chattering wildly.

"Hi-cousin-how-are-you-doing-are-you-good-oh-that's-great-as-for-us-we-were-at-the-candy-shop-oh-my-garsh-it-was-so-good-and-we-ate-and-ate-and-ate-and-ate-and-ate-till-we-were-all-full-then-we-ran-around-in-circles-a-whole-buncha-times-till-we-were-hungry-again-then-we-ate-and-ate-and-ate-and-ate-and-ate-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-yummy-candy-ha-ha-ha!" They both said, fidgeting and bouncing around wildly.  
If they were indoors they would have been literally bouncing off the walls.

"Holy crap! Slow down slow down!" Shinx said over the noise, "You're saying you ate _ALL_ the candy in the store?"

"Yah-yah-yah-yah-yah-yah-yah-yah-yah-yah-yah-holy-fudge-monkeys-Shinx-you-shoulda-been-there-it-was-FABULOUS-and-all-sorts-of-yumminess-too-ha-ha-ha-ha!" Both Plusle and Minun said at a rocketing pace.

Torchic soon came slowly straddling over, looking rather pale and sick. "Ooorgh... Ate... WAY too much... candy... my stomach... is doing... back-flips, kick-flips... and... something-or-other-flips..." He said, looking about ready to cough up his lunch (and not in the good sense).

"Mother of mercy Torchic," Piplup said in shock, "Look at you! You look horrible!"

"Thanks... for telling... _*burp* _me that... blarghhhh..."

"Oh-don't-mind-Torchic-there-he-ate-a-bunch-of-candy-then-he-got-all-sick-so-we-ate-all-his-candy-for-him-since-he-wouldn't-eat-it-you-know-and-so-then-we-heard-there-was-this-race-going-on-and-Pikachu-was-in-it-so-we-came-to-see-him-win-and-stuffs-and-oh-where-is-he?"Plusle said, still speaking a mile a minute.

Piplup managed to understand his question, and replied, "He's out there racing right now, and it doesn't look very good..."

They group all turned to see Pikachu still running and trying to catch up, but he was evidently slowing down.

"Oh no..." Piplup groaned, "He's getting tired, from trying to run so fast..."

"Aargh, this is my fault." Shinx said despondently, "I coulda stopped Sparky from challenging those Rattata in the first place, but now, he's gonna be humiliated."

Things at this point were pretty hopeless. There was no feasible way of helping Pikachu get through this. He wouldn't be able able to finish the race, let alone win it! Shinx, Piplup, and Chikorita began feeling sorry for themselves, Torchic lay down on the ground, still sick from the candy he ate. But Plusle and Minun did something completely different.

"Hey-hey-hey-why-is-everyone-so-sad?" Plusle chattered rapidly.

"Yeah-yeah-yeah-why-are-you-all-looking-so-pathetic-Pikachu-needs-our-help!" Minun also said, glaring at Piplup and Shinx.

Shinx frowned and glared right back. "Guys, we WANT to help, but we can't. And it would be much nicer if you candy junkies weren't here right now. Why don't you just go home?"

"But-but-but-but-but-Shinx!" "C'mon-cuz!" Plusle and Minun pleaded, but Shinx held his ground.

"NO." He said firmly. "Go home. NOW!"

Plusle and Minun gave each other a sad look, then started to leave.

"And please, for Arceus's sake, DON'T, COME, BACK!" Shinx yelled after them as they both left.

"Shinx..." Piplup said, clearly downcast, "Do you have to be so mean to your cousins?"

Shinx shot a piercing glare at Piplup. "I'm not trying to be mean, y'know? But is it not obvious that I _HATE_ those two?"

"But... They're like family to you."

"Read my lips: I. Don't. Care. Not about them, or anyone else!"

Piplup gasped. "How can you say that? You're... such a... _damn jerk!_"

_Jerk... _

This word rang around in Shinx's mind. This made him remember back to the night before, the first night Pikachu stayed at his house, after he'd been so mean... _"And Shinx is too much of a damn jerk to see that!"_

_Jerk... jerk..._

Shinx grew silent, and looked away from Piplup. Much to her surprise, Shinx was actually starting to cry. This was pretty much unheard of.

"Shinx? Are you okay?" Piplup said, suddenly feeling bad. "It's what I said, isn't it...? Look... I'm sorry... okay? But you can be so mean sometimes..."

Shinx stared at the ground, tears forming and starting to drip. "Oh... You're right... Sparky's right... They're all right..." He said softly, "I'm just a... big... jerk. What's wrong with me...? Am I broken? Flawed? What can I do...?"

"Come on, Shinx, no one's perfect." Piplup said, trying to reassure Shinx, "It's not your fault... you know that... right?"

Shinx didn't respond. He closed his eyes, his head still drooping towards the ground. Then a thought struck him. He raised his head up and opened his eyes, looking around for something. he soon caught sight of Plusle and Minun, still walking away looking gloomy.

Taking a deep breath, he shouted out to them. "H-Hey! Plusle! Minun!"

They didn't turn respond at all, so Shinx tried a different approach.

"Urgh... Hey! Cousins!" He shouted again. This time, they listened.

"What-do-you-want-Shinx?" "Yeah-what-do-you-want?" They both answered, somewhat spitefully, but still fidgety from all that candy they ate earlier.

"Look, I'm... I'm... I'd never thought I'd say this, but, I'm sorry you guys... for acting so mean towards you..." Shinx said as apologetically as he could.

Plusle and Minun came walking back slowly, and gave Shinx a suspicious look. "You're-not-bluffing?" "Not-kidding-us are you? Are you?" They said, starting to make a little more sense thanks to their sugar rush wearing off.

Shinx sighed. "No, I'm not kidding you. I'm serious you guys. About everything."

Plusle and Minun huddled together and began whispering among themselves for a moment, then finally came to a decision.

"Cousin-Shinx, we-have-decided to accept your-apology." Plusle said, and smiled.

Shinx couldn't help but smile as well. "Well, thanks you guys. It does mean a lot."

"Aww, c'mere cousin!" Minun said, and ran to give Shinx a hug, as did Plusle. Shinx faked a smile, silently screaming inside. _How long can I put up with this? _He thought, _I'm only doing it for Sparky's sake, so I gotta hang in there_!

Piplup and Chikorita giggled. "That's so cute, Shinx. Way to make up with your cousins!" Piplup said.

"Eheh... So, um... guys?" Shinx said, gently shaking off his cousins, "You said something about helping out Sparky?"

"Pikachu? Oh yes-yes-yes, we can help! We can help really goody!" Minun said, still a little bit frisky from the sugar rush after-effects.

Shinx sighed, but managed to keep himself interested. "And... How is that possible again?"

"Oh Shinx! You big silly! It's simple! We... cheer! Nothing more than that!" Plusle informed him, laughing.

"Say_ wha? _We've just been doing that the _WHOLE RACE_! And that didn't work!" Shinx said, getting a bit angry.

Plusle just laughed and shook his head. "_Tsk, tsk_, Shinx, you didn't have _us _back then, right? When we cheer, it gives our friends the strength to succeed!"

"So? Come on then! Go and do your cheer thing!"

"No way! Not by ourselves! All of Pikachu's friends have to cheer with us! It'll work _waaaaay_ better, trust us!"

"Aargh, alright then, c'mon guys, let's do it before I lose myself here..."

Finally, the whole group (even Torchic) got within a clear view of Pikachu, who was still trying to force himself on, and began cheering and calling out encouragements and good wishes. "C'mon Pikachu! You got this!" "Sparky! Don't you DARE give up, you hear me?" "I... I have faith in you, Pikachu!" "Yeahyeahyeah! Let's hear it for Pikachu!" And on and on the cheers came. Plusle and Minun charged up balls of electricity (the same kind they used to blast Shinx earlier) and used them as pom-poms, jumping up and down as they continued to cheer their little hearts out.

_Come on Sparky, I know you can pull through... _Shinx thought as he watched Pikachu notice them cheering for him.

* * *

Pikachu smiled as he saw that Plusle, Minun, and Torchic had also arrived to see his race, although he was a little depressed that they would be disappointed. Despite that, they were still cheering him on. _I... can't... go on... I'm finished... _He thought, sure that this was the end.

At that moment, a sudden surge of energy rushed through him. _Wha...? What's going on? _He thought, a feeling of warm tinglyness washing over him. Within moments, his sore limbs felt suddenly better, and his mind instantly cleared. It was like taking a hot shower when you've just woke up. It was refreshing. Pikachu suddenly felt right as rain, and better than ever.

_How on earth...? _He thought, bewildered, then he saw that Plusle and Minun were waving around little 'pom-poms' of pure electric power. _Was that what had refreshed me? _

Pikachu suddenly remembered the race, and quietly said "Thanks, guys." to his friends (even though they couldn't hear), before dashing off again at a ridiculous pace that surprised even Pikachu.

_Huh? I'm going so fast! Could Plusle and Minun be doing this too...?_

He raced to the boulder in seconds, then turned around for the finish line, dashing straight for it at a crazy speed.

The Rattata were already a few hundred feet from the finish, and closing the distance quick.

_Gotta hurry! I can do this! _Pikachu thought as he continued to speed up, till no one could even see him anymore, he just became a yellow blur.

The distance closed faster and faster.

_Fifty feet._

_Twenty feet. _

_Five feet. _

_One foot. _

And the winner staked his claim. At the last possible moment, Pikachu pulled ahead of the Rattata pack by mere inches and crossed the finish line as the checkered flag held by the Sentret was waved around to signal the race was over. Against all odds, and with the help of his friends, Pikachu had won.

* * *

A/N: ...Woah! That actually had my heart racing while I was writing it believe it or not! But at long, long last, Chapter 9 is out. And yes, it is LONG. Longer than any chapter I've written before. I considered stopping midway when the race begun, but I don't wanna drop such a nasty cliffhanger on you good people again! (There will be time for that in later chapters. XD) Now, wish me luck as I explore the new realm of Chapter 10! Which probably won't be as long as this, but at least it should be done sooner! And remember to R&R as always!

Fare thee well!

-gl1m0

Update: Caught a quick little error in this chapter, and will be proofreading previous chapters too. Just a little more polish to help make it shine. ;)


	10. The Local Legend

A/N: Chapter # 10 is up at last! Wow. Ten whole chapters. Of course, the story will be longer. Much longer. I leave me to my work now... Oh wait, I was supposed to be introducing Chapter 10. Back to that then. Okay, so... Here ya go. :P Now, behold as this new chapter of the (not so) epic story of Pokeville is unfolded! Hereforth, the reaction to Pikachu's racing victory is revealed, the good/bad consequences of the race, and saucy new developments of the Shinx/Chikorita relationship! Enjoy, and please review!

* * *

It was over.

After he just barely came in first, Pikachu finally lost his footing and tumbled for several feet before sliding to a halt.

Everything was deathly silent. No one dare spoke. The air was thick with disbelief and tension. So much so, that it could be cut through with a cleaver.

After several moments of silence, the referee Sentret held the flag high in the air, then spoke in a shaky but still clear tone.

"T-The winner... is... um... Sp-Sparky... or was it Pikachu...?" He said somewhat nervously, and gave the flag a little wave.

Pikachu slowly picked himself off the ground and coughed up some dirt and grass he got in his mouth when he crashed. He was exhausted. The energy and strength that earlier empowered him had departed, and in its place was the soreness and frailty he had felt before.

He turned around and saw the crowd, his friends, and the Rattata. All of them had their mouths wide open in shock. You'd think they'd seen a ghost or something.

"...What?" Pikachu said nervously, "Did I win?"

No one spoke for a minute. All was quiet until Shinx decided to speak.

"Did you win...?" He said, still evidently in disbelief. "You... you... did it! Of course you did Sparky! You actually did it!" Shinx's shocked expression was quickly replaced with a broad smile.

Piplup came forward as well. "I can't... believe you... won! Actually won! This is just fabulous!" She said, beaming.

"Pikachu! You did it...!" Chikorita said, "All that nonsense earlier... It doesn't matter now, you won against the Rattata!"

Plusle and Minun were simply overjoyed. "YEAH PIKACHU! We knew you could do it!" They both shouted, "Did you appreciate our help? Huh? Did ya? Did ya did ya did ya?"

Shinx shoved his cousins aside and continued, "Unbelievable! They've been unbeatable for years now, and see what our Sparky has done! Awesome!"

Initially, the excitement wasn't universal. Many of the crowd members began murmuring amongst themselves in both disbelief and confusion. Eventually though, a wave of applause gradually found its way across the crowd of roughly two-dozen Pokemon. They began cheering out "Pikachu!" and "Sparky!" in unison, although there was slight confusion as to if Pikachu's name was in fact 'Pikachu' or 'Sparky'.

Pikachu didn't know what to say. He was starting to turn a little red from embarassment and shyness. Still, he felt really proud of himself.

"Well well, it seems our Sparky fellow has something in him after all!" a nearby voice said.

Pikachu and his friends turned towards where the voice came from, and saw the Rattata leader, Ratsy, walking towards them, looking surprisingly pleased.

"I'm impressed Mister Sparky," said Rats, "I just knew you had something firey burning in you. Even when we used our patented 'V-Attack' move to slip by, you fought back with a far-superior technique of your own. Very impressive indeed."

"Uh, well... thanks Ratsy." Piakchu said, smiling. "But it wasn't just me, my frie-"

"I'm well aware, thank you." Ratsy interuptted, and he turned to Plusle and Minun. "That move you two used, it was 'Helping Hand' was it? It boosts the power of your companions."

"Yes yes mister Ratsy guy," Plusle replied cheerfully. "We all cheered Pikachu on till the end! It was so much fun!"

Ratsy chuckled softly. "Yes, indeed." He turned back to Pikachu. "You are a lucky Pokemon Sparky- or should I call you Pikachu? If that is your real name."

"It is," Piakchu responded, "But you can call me one or the other, I'm used to it by now. Heh."

"Haha, yes, as I was saying, you are very lucky sir Pikachu, to have such good friends. To be honest, I am envious of you."

"Oh, err... You don't... have to be...?"

"But I am. The only real friends I have you see are the rest of my group. None other."

"Oooh... Well... sorry about th-"

"Did I say I was unhappy with that? I did not. Since my friends happen to be my best friends, thank you."

Piakchu just nodded in response.

"Now then. I think it is fair to say, Mr. Pikachu, that I lose. I concede defeat to you, sir." Ratsy said, and bowed.

"Umm... Thanks?"

"No no, it's 'Thank you very much good sir', but I'm not here to give you a grammer lesson now, am I? Hahaha..."

"..."

"Joking aside, I would really like one day if we could have a rematch, just us, in a one-on-one race. No tricks. What say you?"

"...Sure? I guess that'll be great."

"Marvelous. Now then Mr. Pikachu, I will be taking my leave. Good day sir! Now, come along gang."

And with that, Ratsy and his troupe of Rattata walked off as the crowd continued to cheer for Pikachu.

"Wow... He took that loss really well." Shinx said.

"Yeah, he's a real gentlemon isn't he?" Piplup said, "Now Pikachu... It's time to face your fans."

Pikachu gulped, and walked rather apprehensively with Piplup towards the crowd, and he was quickly swarmed all around, his new fans pushing, prodding, and questioning him mercilessly.

Shinx laughed. "Poor Sparky, he's gonna hate all that attention."

The crowd, along with Pikachu, Piplup, Plusle, Minu, and Torchic, all moved away and out of sight, leaving Shinx and Chikorita alone.

Chikorita took a deep breath. _Here's my chance... _She thought, but right when she was going to speak, Shinx spoke first.

"So, what's been up with you lately?" He asked, "You haven't been acting yourself, is something the matter?"

Chikorita gasped softly. "W-What makes y-you think that?"

"It's been pretty obvious, y'know. Talking to yourself, acting weirdly apprehensive, and to cap it off you keep trying to ask me something."

"Uhh... Y-Yeah, I do..."

"So? What is it?"

"Er..." _What do I do, what do I do? He's getting really suspicious! _Chikorita thought, _There's no way I can weasel out of this one... Oh... I'll just have to come clean..._

"Shinx..." She said, tensing up.

"What is it now?" Shinx said impatiently, "Just tell me! What's holding you back?"

"I don't... I just don't know..." Chikorita said, and looked away. "Part of me wants to be... with you, and the other part is telling me we're just friends..."

Shinx gave her a quizzical look. "What do you mean?"

Chikorita gulped. "I... I... Oorgh... I... Do you... Err..."

"Yes...?"

_Gulp!_ "Uh... I... guess I... I... _like you_?" She said, barely audibly.

Shinx looked confused. "Eh? What did you say? Speak up a bit Chiko!"

"Urk! I...l-like... like... Oh..."

At this point, Chikorita started stressing out a bit. How could she speak up? When she was so nervous? And it's not like she could just walk away, Shinx clearly knew something. What could she do?

_What do I do...?_

Without any thought or warning, Chikorita suddenly jumped foward and, you may have expected this, kissed him.

Shinx had _no_ idea what this was about, understandably, so he was caught quite off-guard and didn't have time to resist.

Chikorita blushed intensely and looked down. "S-Sorry... I... couldn't help myself..."

Shinx barely moved. "...Wow." was all he said. His face was frozen in a near-perpetual state of surprise, to say the least. There was a rather long period of awkward silence.

"Umm... Do you think... anyone saw?" Chikorita said nervously, and she glanced around. No one was in sight. She sighed with relief.

"Chiko...?" Shinx said slowly, still unmoving, "Do you... like me?"

"Eep! Uh... Well... I, uh, I... yes... I do..." Chikorita repled shyly.

"Hmm, that would explain a lot..." Shinx said calmly, beginning to regain his composure. "But listen, if you do... y'know..._ like _like me, then... why didn't you... I dunno, ask me to go out somewhere?"

"Y-You mean... on a... date?"

Shinx sighed. "That's the proper term, yes. So, why didn't you?"

"Well, I... uh... was a little... you know... afraid that... you wouldn't want to..."

"I can understand that, mainly because... uhh... as long as we're being honest here, and... crazy as it might sound... I think... I like you too."

"Y-You do? R-Really?"

"Umm, well... yeah. I never showed it though, 'cause I must admit it would make me seem a little... silly in front of everyone else. _Especially_ Plusle and Minun. Do you have _any_ idea what they would be saying if they found out I liked you or vice versa?"

Chikorita sighed. "Yeah... I get it. That means...if we do start, um... 'dating', then... we should keep it a secret?"

Shinx nodded. "Exactly. Rumors have a tendancy to spread, so no one should know."

"But... what about Piplup? Or Pikachu? Can't they keep a secret?"

"Listen, Piplup is a _huge_ gossip, so no. You should know that. But Sparky... well... he's pretty trustworthy, and I'm pretty sure he's keepin' secrets from me, so... maybe."

"Okay... well... when should we-"

"I've already thought about that. Right now, things are pretty noisy, and they're gonna be even noisier, so now wouldn't be a good time."

"Okay... that's fine. I understand."

Shinx smiled. "Glad you do. I promise you, when things aren't so shook up anymore we can work something out." He said, and winked.

"Oh! Uh, g-great!" Chikorita said, and smiled as well.

"Well, let's not stand around here anymore. C'mon, let's go home Chiko."

Finally, both Shinx and Chikorita walked away through the park together towards home, with Pikachu and company still far ahead.

* * *

Pikachu was followed the whole way home by the crowd, which was still cheering and congratulating him on his victory. Even those nay-sayers who assumed Pikachu would fail had joined the club, and were cheering his name.

"Haha, hey Pikachu!" said Piplup excitedly, "You're practically a celebrity now! Look at all these Pokemon!"

"Yay for Pikachu! Yay hooray-de-day!" Plusle and Minun chanted.

"Great... Pikachu... win... _hiccup_..." groaned Torchic, still a bit ill from his candy hangover.

Pikachu was both happy and overwhelmed. This was simply too much, but he was still buoyed up so much from his victory that he didn't care.

"Thank you all so much..." Pikachu said over the cheers of his friends and the crowd, "But I can't thank my friends enough... If it weren't for them... I wouldn't even be here in Pokeville!"

"Aww... Thanks Pikachu." Piplup said, smiling. "I'm sure Shinx and Chikorita would be happy for you too- Hold up, where are they?"

"Over here!" two distant voices called out.

Piplup and Pikachu turned around to see both Shinx and Chikorita running towards them.

"We're here! Sorry for lagging behind!" Shinx called out as they rushed to the group.

"Hey buddy!" Pikachu said, beaming. "Where were you?"

"Took the scenic route." Shinx replied. "Have you heard? When we were passing through town we could hear almost everyone talking about you! You're like a legend or something!"

Pikachu grinned in slight embarassment and pride. _A legend? Me? That's a lot to live up to, isn't it? _He thought.

By the time the crowd had reached the cul-de-sac Pikachu and friends lived in, it had already dispersed. Shinx couldn't help but sigh with relief.

"Wonderful, now we can get some rest for a change..." He said, and began walking towards his house.

"Yeah... I'm beat, I could use a nap..." said Pikachu, "Bye everyone, see ya tomorrow."

"Okay then, see you later Pikachu!" Piplup said, and headed to her house.

"B-Bye Pikachu, and bye Shinx..." Chikorita said quietly, and went home as well.

"Oorgh... See ya... guys... need sleep..." moaned Torchic, and he dragged himself back to his house.

Plusle and Minun were still full of energy. "Byebye everybody! Catch up with ya guys later!" They said, and bounded back to their house.

Pikachu and Shinx went into their house, then shut the door behind them.

"Phew... What a day..." Pikachu remarked, and proceeded to sit on the sofa and relax. Shinx also came up and sat beside him.

"You're telling me," He said, "I just found something out from a certain someone."

This piqued Pikachu's curiosity. "What is it and who was it?" He asked.

Shinx took a deep breath, and decided that it would be best to tell him. "Do you _promise _not to tell anyone? It's a secret you see." He said, giving Pikachu a serious look.

"Shinx... You're my friend, right?" Pikachu said, just as serious, "So that means we can trust each other. I promise not to tell, and you can believe that."

Shinx smiled. "Of course I'm your friend, but I'd just thought I'd make sure, because this can't be told to anyone else."

"Again, I_ promise _to keep it a secret. So, what is it?"

"Well..." Shinx began, taking a deep a breath. "...It's about me and Chiko..."

Pikachu's ears perked up. "Yes...?"

"You see, after the race, the two of us stayed behind, as you know, so I started talking to her about her unusual behavior lately..."

"Go on..."

"After a little bit, well, she... promise you won't laugh... she... _kissed _me..."

Pikachu's suddenly widened in shock. "Bwhaa? She did that?"

Shinx nodded slowly.

"Wow! Shinx, does that mean she...?"

Shinx nodded again.

"Unbelievable! I never would've guessed-"

"And..." interuptted Shinx, "...I think... I like her too... Have for a while now actually..."

Pikachu gaped at Shinx. "Are you kidding me? You're both like... _in love_?"

"No! Not like that! It's a bit early to say that, we haven't even been on a date yet or anything!" Shinx yelled defensively.

"Okay, okay, sorry." Pikachu said, smirking a bit.

Shinx shook his head dismissively. "The point is, this is a big secret, at least for now. So don't tell_ ANYONE_. Not Piplup, not Torchic, and _especially_ not Plusle and Minun. Can you promise me that... as a friend?"

Pikachu smiled. "I promise you... as a best friend."

"...Thanks Sparky." Shinx said quietly, and smiled too.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Eh? Who could that be?" Shinx asked no one in particular, and he walked over to the front door and opened it. Standing there was Ratsy, the Rattata Pikachu had raced against earlier.

"Good day, sir... Eh... Shinx, was it?" Ratsy greeted, "If I may ask, where is that Sparky fellow of yours?"

"Who? Him? I'll give him a shout." Shinx replied, then yelled back into the house, "Hey Sparky! That Rattata is at the door for ya!"

Moments later, Pikachu arrived at the front door.

"Yeah? What's the matter?" He asked Ratsy.

"Sir, is it okay if I speak with you for a moment? Alone? There is something I need to tell you, it's important." Ratsy answered.

Pikachu gave his a wondering look. "Uh, okay. I'll be back in a bit Shinx..." He said, and walked outside with Ratsy, shutting the door behind him.

"Now then," Ratsy began, making sure Pikachu was listening, "I'm sure you are accustomed to Pokemon cheering out your name."

"Eh-heh, yeah... It's kind of overwhelming though."

"I know that feeling. The first race I ever won I was swarmed by new fans, I didn't hear the end of it... Heh."

"It was bad?"

"Not bad, but rather... how you say... too much."

"I see... So, why did you come here?"

"To the point, I like that. Well, I wanted to let you know that... Hmm... How do I say this...? Are you familiar with the saying 'Those who do great things are thusly expected to do more great things'?"

"Uh... Not really, why?"

"It means that... Well, you just won a race, against the current champions; me and my group, correct?"

"Yeah?"

"So, now you're famous. Word will quickly spread about you far and wide. And guess what? They're going to expect you win again. And if you fail to measure up? They get disappointed, and let you fall through. Are you with me so far?"

"I... think so..."

"The point is, everyone is now going to expect more from you. You'll see later on, I assure you."

"But... How else? What could they want me to do?"

"I'm quite sure that will be apparent by tomorrow. Anyway, I'm done for now, as the hour is getting a tad late. I will see you some other time. Farewell Mr. Pikachu!"

And with that, Ratsy left down the street as the light of day grew dimmer.

_I don't remember it being that late... I must've been in the park longer than I thought... _Pikachu thought, confused as to how almost a whole day passed so quickly.

He stood on the house's front lawn for a few minutes to admire the beautiful golden sunset, then turned around and re-entered the domicile. Inside, Shinx was on the couch, watching televison. When Pikachu entered Shinx turned to face him.

"...So? What did that guy want?" Shinx asked Pikachu.

Pikachu shrugged. "Not really sure, something about 'great expectations' or something to that effect, I dunno." He said. Of course, this was a lie, as Pikachu knew a lot more than that, but he had decided to keep it to himself.

"Uh-huh... So, what? You gonna come watch TV or what?" said Shinx flatly, not really interested in what Ratsy had to say anyway.

Pikachu didn't need to be told twice. He quickly sat on the couch beside Shinx and started watching television with him. All that time, he thought about what Ratsy told him.

_'Great expectations'? Like what? _He thought,_ I'm supposed to find out by tomorrow... But what is that expectation?_

This thought haunted Pikachu the rest of the evening. He had no idea if this would turn out to be good, or bad.

* * *

The next day, Pikachu managed to wake up (on his own), and he even woke up sooner than Shinx. Pikachu was sitting at the kitchen table, sipping a drink, when Shinx finally did wake up.

"What the heck? How are you up so early?" Shinx asked, bewildered.

Pikachu raised his cup and laughed. "One word: Coffee."

"Hahaha, you're hilarious." Shinx said sarcastically, still looking tired.

"Heh, I know I am buddy, I know I am." Pikachu said, taking another sip of coffee, "And you can drop the sarcasm, it's only morning. Plus, I saved you a cup. Still hot, too!"

Shinx straddled over to the table beside Pikachu, "Well, that's pretty decent of you Sparky, thanks." He went to take the coffee cup Pikachu left for him on the table, but it was tragically out of reach.

"Oh, right." Pikachu said, and he took the cup of coffee and handed it down to Shinx, "Here ya go. Watch it, it's hot."

"Uhh, well... thanks _again_, Sparky." said Shinx, taking the cup, and he sat on the chair opposite Pikachu.

They sat there for some time, sipping their coffee and chatting loosely, until there was a knock at the door.

"Ugh, I'll get it." Shinx said, sighing. He hopped off the chair and slowly walked to the door. Opening it, he saw no one was there, except for the daily newspaper, the Pokeville Gazette, and some mail on the doorstop.

"Oop. Mail's here." Shinx said bluntly, and he picked up the papers in his mouth and brought it inside.

"Huh, maybe that race made it to the papers." Pikachu said, semi-jokingly, and he recieved the paper from Shinx and unfurled it. His smile quickly disappeared when he saw the front page. The details of the race was all over it. Every bit, the beginning, middle, and end, as well as every other interesting detail. They even ended up calling Pikachu 'Sparky' in the paper.

"Wonderful," Pikachu said, sighing, "Everyone in town knows about me now. Ah well, at least this whole schtick will pass soon enough..."

"Umm, Sparky?" Shinx said, looking rather concerned, "Wanna re-word that statement? This letter here is addressed to you."

"Wha? Who's it from?"

"Oh, I dunno... maybe... because it was sent from the Pokeathlon Comittee of Pokeville?"

Pikachu gasped. "From WHO? Lemme see it!" He said, snatching the letter from Shinx, and tore it open, then began to read from it.

"Here's what it says: _'To Mr. Pikachu (aka Sparky), This letter is to inform you of your entry in the Pokemon Tri-athlon Games, or 'Pokeathlon'. A Mr. Ratsy, former Pokeathlon Speed Champion, has recommended you to us, and after much consideration we decided to choose you to represent Pokeville in the upcoming Pokeathlon this summer'_... I've been WHAT? By Ratsy?" Pikachu said in disbelief, and he handed the letter to Shinx. "Can you finish reading it for me? I don't think I can go on..."

"Uhh, sure. Anyways... Ahem, _'In case you are not already aware, the Pokeathlon is an event held in a determinable location annually. Currently, we are not aware of the confirmed hosting area of this years Pokeathlon. The nominee locations currently are: New Haven City, Poketopia, Daybreak Town, and Pokeville. We will announce the chosen location a few weeks before the Pokeathlon begins, to give you a chance to prepare.'_"

"I may have to leave to another city, or even worse, back to _New Haven_? Away from you and everyone else? There's no way I can do-"

"Let me finish, please Sparky, there's more. _'You are currently one of three participants to represent Pokeville, the other two have not yet been determined. If you have any recommendations, then feel free to contact us with you requested participant. We look forward to your greatest effort at the games. Until then, good luck. Regards, The Pokeathlon Comittee.'_"

As Shinx finished the letter Pikachu sat in shock._ How did I get myself into th- Oh... right... that race thing. _He thought, and covered his face with his paws.

"Oh, come off it, Sparky!" Shinx said, tossing the letter aside onto the table, "Didn't you hear that last part? You can bring along another competitor for Pokeville, aka, _your friends_!"

"Well... Yeah, but only _two_!" Pikachu protested, still upset.

"It should be obvious who candidate numero one is!" Shinx said with a smug grin.

Pikachu lifted his face up and smiled weakly. "Oh you... Of course I'll bring you along... But... isn't the Pokeathlon physically demanding?"

"Your point?" Shinx said, rolling his eyes. "There are five events, Sparky. Speed and Jump, which are good for you, Power and Skill, better suited for me, and Stamina, which we both can take farely well."

Pikachu thought a moment. "Well... Okay, but we'll be one short of a team! We need _three_ you know."

"Of course. We'll just find someone else good to tag along . We may need to look around a bit, but it shouldn't be hard."

"Ummm... Okay then, I'll do it." Pikachu said, and smiled.

Shinx smiled back. "I knew you would come around eventually Sparky. C'mon, we should tell everyone else about this!"

At last, both Pikachu and Shinx left their house, and proceeded to let everyone know that the Pokeathlon was coming, and Pikachu was ready.

* * *

A/N: Developments! Shinx and Chikorita have _finally _revealed their true feelings (yet decide to keep it a secret), and Pikachu is chosen to be in the Pokeathlon! It's not until summer though, so you'll have to wait a few more chapters till we get there. :P Don't worry, many more interesting occurings will take place till then, including the introduction of a few new characters! In other news: NOW HEAR THIS! My other Pokemon fanfiction, Bond of Steel: Soto Legends, has now been published! Chapters 1 and 2 are out, so if you're interested go check it out! Until next time, PLEASE REVIEW! (And I'll give you a cookie :D)

Fare thee well!

-gl1m0


	11. Of Rocks and Seashells

A/N: Update time! As per promise, more new developments and a new character will debut in this chapter! Also, pay close attention to the near-end of this chapter... It's very critical to the storyline. Oh, and uh, I have yet another story I'll be working on, (ZOMG SQUEE) it's a Katamari Damacy humor fanfic that I like to call The Prince of Kings. If you want, you can give it a look if you're into that kind of thing. :P Two chapters (parts) are up, with the third on the way. That story is rated T for language and crude humor, just to give you a little heads up for any younger readers. The third chapter for Bond Of Steel, another story of mine, wil be up soon as well. Oh, and to those wonderful people that have been reviewing this story, have a cookie! :D Anyways, go ahead and read onwards through (the shockingly long) Chapter 11! (And dun forgets to review too, eh?)

* * *

The next few days were quite noisy, with Pikachu's (nick)name becoming known throughout town and beyond. The extra attention had made it a bit tricky for them to relax and live a normal life, but it did have several bonuses.

For example, when Pikachu and Shinx went to the store to get some groceries, the clerks recognized them right away, and gave them a great discount!

In addition, Pikachu never had to wait in line at the checkout either! The other shoppers were more than happy to give up their places in line for a champ.

Some time later, Pikachu finally sent a letter requesting Shinx's participation in the Pokeathlon along with himself. For two days there was no reply, until at last a letter arrived in the mail. The moment the doorbell rang, which signaled the mail's delivery, Pikachu ran to the door and opened it so fast that he nearly smacked the poor Mail Pidgey in the beak before it could fly off. "Sorry." Pikachu said hastily, then accepted the letter and rushed back inside to show Shinx.

"It's here! It's here!" He shouted, while waving the letter in Shinx's face.

"Don't celebrate just yet Sparky," Shinx said bluntly, "We have to see if they said yes or not."

Pikachu scoffed. "I know that! I'm just excited that we got a reply."

"Well? Come on, come on! Let's hear what it says!" said Shinx urgently.

"Okay..." Pikachu replied, and cleared his throat. "Here goes, ahem, _'To Mr. Pikachu (aka Sparky), We have received your request for a Mr. Shinx to be entered as a new Pokeathlon contender for the Power/Skill Category, and your own choice of the Speed/Jump Category. After much consideration we have decided to accept him into the competition. We thank you for your recommendation, and hope you both will succeed. Please note that one additional member must be assigned to your team, for fairness' sake. If you cannot find one, the Committee will assign one on your behalf. Regards, The Pokeathlon Committee.'_"

Shinx suddenly brightened up. "They accepted me? Oh yes! But I _am _the obvious choice after all." He said, smirking proudly.

"Oh, heh... Of course... But yeah! I'm so glad that you can come with me!" Pikachu said, brimming with happiness.

Shinx smiled. "Well, I'm glad too. At least you won't be so lonely if we have to leave town!"

"There's that, but what about... you know, Piplup, Chikorita and whoever else? Our friends? Won't they miss us?"

Shinx sighed. "Yeah... Well... we're just gonna have to deal with it, I'm sure they won't mind waiting for us. And the whole thing will probably be televised, so it's not like they can't see us."

"But we can't see them!"

"Of course, but..." Shinx tried to think of a good argument, but he could not. He let the issue slide with a low mumble.

"Besides," Pikachu continued, "I know that Pokeville is one of the possible places for the Pokeathlon... But, there's a way bigger chance it'll be far away! Isn't Poketopia supposed to be across the ocean?"

"Well, yes. But what does it matt-"

"It matters entirely! I can't go back to New Haven, that's for damn sure! I wouldn't really mind going to Daybreak Town, and I would love to stay in Pokeville, so-"

"A fifty-fifty chance, then."

"A what now?"

"A fifty-fifty chance. Half you end up somewhere good, and half you'll end up in a no-good place. And even so, Poketopia is supposedly a wondrous and flashy-lifestyle place, so that would be good too. So that's a whole three-quarter chance you'll be in a good place! You should be happy that the odds are on your side!"

"Yeah, but... I don't think I can-"

"So, you're chickening out of the competition? Before it's even officially announced?"

"N-No! Not that! I just-"

"Just _what?_ Wanna disappoint everyone else? When we told the gang that you were in the games they were so happy for you! Do you wanna just tell them you're giving up because you might have to leave for like,_ two days?_"

"...Of course not. I'm sorry Shinx... I don't know what I was thinking... I'm just, all tense and nervous is all..."

Shinx sighed. "Well, I guess that's fine. But you gotta learn to keep a straight mind Sparky. You'll have a hard time in that Pokeathlon if you don't."

Pikachu nodded solemnly.

"Good then," Shinx said, "Anyway, we shouldn't be worrying about this now, the Pokeathlon's still weeks away, in summertime. We should just be relaxing and getting on with our normal lives, ya hear?"

"Alright then.." Pikachu said slowly, "But what should we do?"

"Well, we can tell everybody that I'm going to be in the Pokeathlon too, that would be a start. Then we'll... do something."

"Sure, the others should know about that..." Pikachu said, then edged closer to Shinx and gave him a nudge. "...And your girlfriend has a right to be told _toooo~_"

"Oh, for Mew's sake Sparky, I said that we haven't even... _Gah!_" Shinx said, annoyed. He grumbled it off without much argument and the two left their house to meet up with Piplup first.

On their way over they saw Piplup along with Chikorita, Plusle and Minun all in a group busily chatting with each other in the middle of the cul-de-sac.

"Well, how about that. They're already outside. Must be something up." Shinx said, then hollered out to them. "Yo, Pip! Chiko!"

Upon hearing being called, Piplup, Chikorita, Plusle and Minun all turned to face Pikachu and Shinx, who were coming towards them.

"Oh, Shinx, Pikachu! Nice to see you!" Piplup replied, "And Shinx, haven't I already told you not to call me that?"

Shinx smirked. "It's either that, or Pippy."

"Don't start with me." Piplup snapped, glaring at Shinx.

"Yeah, yeah whatever you say, Pip. Heheh. So anyway, what are you three talking about over here anyway?" Shinx asked.

Plusle and Minun started bouncing in excitement. "Oooh-ooh! We're going to the beach!" Plusle said.

"Yeah yeah!" Minun chanted, "We're gonna go collect lots of stuffs! I'm gonna find a buncha seashells!"

"And I'm gonna find lots of pretty rocks!" Plusle chimed, squealing at the thought of finding more rare rocks for his collection.

Shinx sighed. "Why does that not surprise me?"

"Yeah... Torchic didn't feel like coming along today, so, do you wanna come along instead?" Piplup asked both Shinx and Pikachu.

"Why didn't Torchy wanna come?" Shinx said, partially ignoring Piplup's question.

Piplup sighed. "Oh, he hates water. And since the beach is right next to a huge tub of it, aka 'The Ocean', then he was quick to turn it down. He went to the Park again instead. So, will you come with us?" Piplup asked again.

"Sure, I don't see why not." Pikachu replied, smiling a bit.

Shinx's response was quicker and more fierce. "NO."

"_Aww_... Come on cousin!" Plusle and Minun pleaded.

"I said _'no'_already, can't you take a hint?" Shinx said sharply. No amount of pleading from either of them would convince him to go. Of course, Chikorita would change that.

She slowly walked up to Shinx and began pleading as well. "C'mon Shinx... Won't you come with us?" She asked in a cutesy yet sad tone.

"Err... I really don't want..." Shinx tried to say in objection, but was hampered by the sad look Chikorita was giving him.

"Come on... Please? ..._For me?_" She begged.

"I... you... argh... Fine, I'll go..." Shinx said quietly, defeated.

Chikorita smiled brightly. "I knew you'd come around Shinx, come on, let's go!" She said.

"Oh, wait!" Pikachu suddenly blurted out, having remembered something, "We were actually coming to tell you something important, but we sort of got carried away with the beach thing and forgot. Well... Do you remember how we asked the Pokeathlon Committee if Shinx could participate in the games with me, too?"

"Yes?" Piplup and Chikorita said, suddenly interested.

"Guess what?" Pikachu continued, starting to get excited, "He's been accepted! He can come with me!"

"_Wow!_Shinx, that's great!" Piplup said happily, giving Shinx a small pat on the back.

"Woah, that's just wonderful Shinx!" Chikorita praised, "I _knew_ you would make it... But still, I'm amazed that they just let you in without anything at all! That's really something!"

Shinx smiled weakly. "Eh-heh, yeah, it is pretty great... But I'm nothing that special." He said as modestly as he could.

"Don't be so modest Shinx, the Pokeathlon is a very exclusive and popular event! You were probably let in because you're Pikachu's friend, and he's like, a legend! So it's not surprising they decided to let you in. You two will be representing Pokeville either way!" Piplup informed them.

"I think that's already been established with us." Pikachu said, "I'm pretty sure we're ready."

"What he said." Shinx said quickly, smirking.

Piplup shrugged. "Alright then, if you say so." She said, "Should we be going to the beach now? Are you ready Plu-" She turned to look at where the two brothers had been standing moments ago, but they had vanished into thin air.

"What the- Where'd Plusle and Minun run off to _now?_"

Shinx sighed and shook his head. "Well, that figures. They must've run ahead to the beach 'cause they got tired of waiting."

"I wouldn't put it past them, they can be so impatient sometimes." Piplup said in agreement.

"_'Sometimes'_? You should've said _'every waking moment'_." Shinx said with a laugh.

"Yes... Well... I suppose you're right about that..." Piplup said, "...Fine then, let's just go to the beach and hope they're there." And with that, the group began their trek to the beach.

Rather than taking the main road to downtown, as Pikachu always had, they all followed Piplup down a nearby alleyway which led into a brush path that meandered left and right.

"Why are we going this way, through the bush?" Pikachu asked, almost scratching himself on an outstretched tree branch that hung over the trail.

"It's a shortcut. We'll be there in no time!" Piplup replied with a quick wink.

Pikachu just sighed. He followed Piplup and the others through the bush, which seemed to grow thicker with every step.

Before long, the distinct smell of salty sea air and sound of waves crashing filled the air around them.

"We're almost there~!" Piplup chimed.

Sure enough, they soon broke free of the enclosure of the forest and ended up at the sandy beaches of Pokeville. It was_ huge_. Pikachu was sure that, from where he was standing, the beach was several hundred feet deep inland, and miles wide. Out beyond the beach was, obviously, the ocean. It stretched all the way to the sky's horizon and kept on going, an endless blue void that sparkled in the early morning sunshine like a jewel freshly polished by a caring gemcutter. It was truly a sight to behold.

Pikachu felt like he was going to lose himself again, like what happened at the park days before, but he managed to keep himself together. "_Whoa..._" was all said.

"Impressed, Sparky?" Shinx said smugly, "I'd enjoy this too if it weren't for the fact Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum show up here on a daily basis. Ugh, speak of the devil, there they are." He pointed at Plusle in the distance, apparently looking for rocks. Conversely, Minun was looking for shells, but he was also chatting with a Pokemon that Pikachu had never seen before.

"It seems you're right on the money Shinx," Piplup said, then noticed who Minun was talking to. "Oh, look! It's Oshawott! I thought he was on vacation..."

Since Plusle was obviously otherwise occupied, the group walked across the sand-laden beach towards Minun and the other Pokemon, apparently named Oshawott. Both of them turned to greet the group as they approached.

Oshawott seemed to resemble an otter in general, with a light-blue body, off-white head and arms, and dark-blue tail and feet. The most distinct feature about Oshawott however had to be a dull-yellow clam shell affixed to his stomach area.

The otter Pokemon took a small bow, then spoke, "Konichiwa guys, hows it going?"

"Great, thanks for asking." Piplup replied, "How about you Oshy?"

"Doing fine, as per usual. I was just talking to Minun here about our seashell collections!" Oshawott said, smiling.

Minun hopped up and down excitedly, like he usually did. "Yes yes! Me and Oshy both collect shells! Sometimes we trade with each other when we find super-rare ones! It's _soooooo_ much fun!" He said, still unable to keep still.

"Eheheh... That's wonderful Minun..." Piplup said, chuckling nervously, "So anyway, what brings you to the beach Oshawott? And weren't you like on vacation or something?"

"To answer your second question, I got bored of it. It was a nice place and all, but that urge to return home soon comes and gets ya, know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I can relate to that."

"For your first question, I'm at the beach for, oh, one of two reasons: To look around for any shells and/or go for a bit of swimming."

"Swim? Isn't it still a tad early in the season for that? The water's still cold isn't it?"

"So? I can handle it fine, I was a well-known ocean swimmer in my home country I'll have you know!"

"Oh, I see... Anyway Oshy, there's someone you should meet. Come here, Pikachu!"

Pikachu stepped forward and extended his paw in greeting. "Hi... my name's Pikachu. Nice to meet you... uh... Oshawott, was it?"

Oshawott took Pikachu's paw and shook it. "That's my name, don't you dare soil it!" He said, then leaned closer and frowned, "'Cause if you do, I swear I'll hunt you down and kill you."

Pikachu stared at him in shock for several moments.

"I'm _kidding!_I'm just kidding! Haha, don't worry nothing about it!" Oshawott said, smiling and laughing again.

Pikachu sighed with relief and shook his head. "You had me going for a second there."

"I know I did. I'm a natural at this Pikachu... or should I say _'Sparky'?_"

"Wait...! You know about the race?"

"It's hard not to! It was all over the news, about you being a racing legend and stuff. They also called you 'Sparky'. Hey, news is news!"

"Eh... Well, to set the record straight my real name is Pikachu. You see, 'Sparky' is just a nickname that Shinx came up with for me... Without really asking if that was okay, of course."

Shinx nodded in agreement. "It's true, that was the first thing I called him when he showed up on my doorstep. And I've_ always _called him that ever since! Heheheh..." He said, snickering.

Pikachu shot a quick glare at Shinx, then turned back to Oshawott. "Yeah... So anyways, it was nice meeting you Oshawott."

"Oh please," Oshawott said, smiling, "Just call me _'Oshy'_, everyone else does."

"Oh, uhh... alright then _'Oshy'_, heh."

"Great! Now if you will all excuse me, I'm going for a swim."

Oshawott turned and ran towards the edge of the ocean, and then leaped into it with a soft _Pa-loosh!_ He moments later poked his head out of the water roughly a dozen feet from the shoreline, then looked in the direction of the group.

"Hey!" He called out, "Why don'tcha come in too? The water is great today!"

Piplup giggled. "Okay, I guess that would be nice!" She said, then ran and jumped into the ocean as well.

"Ooh, this feels nice! You were right Oshy, it's _great!_" Piplup said, swimming around a bit and laughing.

"What'd I tell you? And you said it was too early for swimming!" Oshawott replied, laughing, and he splashed some water on Piplup.

"_Eee!_Haha, cut that out!" Piplup said playfully, splashing water right back at Oshawott.

All the while, Pikachu looked on with a pang of envy. "That looks like fun, I wanna go swim too!" He said, starting to run for the water.

"Uh, Sparky? I'm pretty sure that's not a good idea!" Shinx called after him, but Pikachu didn't listen.

Pikachu jumped into the water, like the others, but immediately regretted it. "_Eeeeeeeeeyah!_ Coldcoldcoldcoldcold!" He shrieked, surprised by the near-freezing water.

He leaped right out of the water and seemed to skip across it as he returned at a lightning pace. When he arrived on safe, sandy ground Pikachu panted and began shivering uncontrollably, his fur soaked with water.

"T-T-That w-w-water is f-f-f-freezing! _Brr..._" Pikachu said, stuttering.

"I tried to warn you." Shinx said, rolling his eyes.

Oshawott and Piplup laughed. "Don't worry 'Sparky'," Oshawott called to him, "The water will be warm enough for you in summer!"

"Summer?" Pikachu said, suddenly realizing something, "But... That's when I have to leave!"

Everyone (except Shinx) fell silent and gazed at Pikachu curiously. "Leave? For what reason?" Chikorita asked.

Pikachu sighed. "Leave for the Pokeathlon. I should only be gone for a few days, maybe a week or two if it's gonna be all the way out in Poketopia." He replied.

There was a brief silence.

"Yeah... He goes, and so do I." Shinx said, already knowing of the turn of events.

Piplup and Oshawott slowly swam back to shore so they could converse better. "You both are going?" Oshawott asked, "Just you two?"

"Well, yes and no." Shinx responded."We're both going, yes, but we have to get a third contender too. Regulations, apparently."

Oshawott thought for a moment. "Eh...Well I would help you out, but the only thing I'm any good at is swimming..." He said, then silently added, "...And cooking."

"To be perfectly honest," Shinx continued, "I have no idea exactly what kind of events they're gonna have, so... If it involves swimming, then you'll help us right?"

"Depends..."

"On what?"

"...How I feel, if I'm up for it, and if I can actually do it of course."

"Hmm... Alright, we'll just have to wait and see then."

* * *

After a few more minutes of random chatter, the gang broke into groups to explore the beach. Pikachu, Oshawott, and Minun went looking for shells, Piplup and Plusle searched for rocks, and Shinx and Chikorita went off on a walk.

Pikachu decided to go with Oshawott since he wanted to get to know him better, and Oshawott wanted to go with Minun so they could look for shells. Shinx would NOT go with either Plusle or Minun, so he ended up going with Chikorita.

And of course, this left Piplup to accompany Plusle while he looked around for rocks. More or less, Piplup had to run after Plusle just to keep up with him, since he wasted no time in finding more rocks for his ever-expanding collection.

As Pikachu walked away with Oshawott and Minun, he began speaking with them both.

"So... uh..." Pikachu said, trying to think up an interesting topic to discuss, "Well... How 'bout that weather, eh? _Heheh..._"

Oshawott chuckled. "Not a real expert on small talk aren't you?"

Pikachu shook his head, slightly embarrassed.

"Heh, that's okay, I never really can sustain a cheap conversation even if my life counted on it." Oshawott said.

Pikachu nodded. "Yeah, me neither. I've got a ton on my mind, but I can't really speak most of it if you get what I mean."

"I can relate. I've got so much on my mind as well, like, wondering if Piplup-" Oshawott stopped suddenly and stammered a bit. "Uhh, I probably shouldn't tell you that..."

"Tell me what? Is it a secret? If it is, then I'm keeping a few myself, by either me or my friends."

"So... You're pretty trustworthy then...?"

"'Bout as trustworthy as they come. I make a promise and I keep it. I keep a secret and it stays secret."

"...Well, I'm still not sure."

"Come on, you can tell me, what is it?"

"Sigh... Promise you won't tell another_ living soul_ about this?"

"'On my heart, I make a seal; To swear myself, to never reveal'... I got that phrase from a novel I used to read, it's called the Secret Oath... But still, you get my drift."

"Okay then... I... Um... Actually... let me show you something first."

Oshawott bent down and picked up a bright pink shell off the sand, in the shape of heart. He brushed off the sand and held it in front of Pikachu.

"Does this remind you of anything?" Oshawott asked.

Pikachu eyed the shell carefully. It was quite sparkly, and the bright pink hue was very eye-pleasing. The heart shape also was a distinct symbol of love. _So, what's this about? _Pikachu thought.

"Well, it looks like a heart." Pikachu replied at last.

"That's pretty obvious," Oshawott replied, "But, what does it mean?"

"It's the symbol of love, right?"

"Exactly. But, to some, like me, it has a different meaning."

"And that is...?"

"Happiness. Friendship. And an everlasting bond. _'Love'_ is such a throwaway word nowadays. Some 'love' is false, and some supposed 'relationships' are corrupted. Do you see my point?"

"To be honest, not really."

"Ugh, well, I suppose you wouldn't. But, I must ask... Have you... found that... special someone yet?"

"What do you mean?"

"Someone you have feeling for, someone you wanna be with forever, someone who makes you happy... Get it now?"

Pikachu thought hard. He had once, as a matter of fact, been in love. When he was a little Pichu, long before the fire, he had a crush on another female Pichu, by the name of Tammy. She shared those same feelings with him, and they spent a lot of time together. They went to movies, they visited the central park often, they went out for ice creams, and so much more that Pikachu couldn't even remember. It was the model of young romance.

Sadly, not all things were meant to last. A few months later, Tammy's parents moved away, despite her protests, and he never saw her again. He was heartbroken. Pikachu could remember the nights he spent crying in his bed, particularly that one where his mother came to see him and cheered him up.

_"There, there, you'll see each other again someday! Their parents called us, and gave us their address over in the town that they live in! Don't cry my little Pichu, we'll go visit them sometime!"_ Mother had said, and smiled brightly.

How happy Pikachu was when he heard that! But then... the fire struck. It was a double-whammy on poor Pikachu's heart. His chance at love on both fronts was lost forever. What did it matter now?

"I... I had once..." Pikachu replied solemnly.

Oshawott frowned. "It... didn't work out?"

"...Something like that... it's... complicated..."

"I see... Well... in my case, I have actually found that someone."

"Really? Who?"

"Well, I know she's my friend... but... I'm just not sure if she feels the way I do..."

"Who is it? A friend?"

"Uhhh... Okay... Um... Let's see... It's... this is kinda embarrassing...

"Go on..."

"Uh... Piplup... that's right, I have feelings for Piplup..."

"_Piplup?_ You're in love with-"

"Yes, that's right. I know it sounds silly from me considering you and I just met and all, but... She's just so... I'm not sure what it is about her..."

"Wow... just wow... Um... Have you ever thought of... I dunno... telling her?"

"What? And possibly be rejected and ruin our friendship? _No thanks_."

"Hold on a second, if she really is your friend, then she wouldn't just stop being your friend if you told her you like her. I'm sure of that."

"But... won't she think less of me?"

"Hardly, if anything she'll think more of you! I mean _come on!_ It does take a lot of guts to admit you like somebody! My friend had to go through that too, admitting she liked my other friend, and they ended up great!"

"Which friends now?"

"That's a secret. I stand by my word."

"Well, I know you're trustworthy now all right. I'll just forget that last thing you said."

"Great... uh... So now what? Are you gonna do it?"

"Well... Urgh... Sometime, but I'm not sure when..."

"That's fine. Tell her whenever you're ready."

"...Thanks Pikachu. I'm glad I have someone to confide in, besides Minun."

"Your welcome, I- wait... Minun heard...?" Pikachu turned to see that Minun was staring at them blankly, listening the whole time, then facepawed. "Aw, _crap._We probably shouldn'tve-"

"It's okay, it's okay, Minun here knows about my... feelings, I swore him to secrecy you see."

"You did? How did you do that?"

"Easy, it just took a little..." Oshawott began saying, then, in one swift moment, he took the shell off his stomach (which was surprisingly detachable), then charged at a nearby piece of driftwood and jumped towards it. Oshawott then swung the shell down like an axe blade, and cut the wood cleanly in half before landing gracefully on the ground. "...Persuasion. A little tour de force. Get me?" He finished.

Pikachu stood frozen in both amazement and fear, trying very hard not to think what would happen if he was the target instead of the driftwood. "Woah... I... _Yikes_..." Pikachu said in a low voice. He noticed Minun trembling a bit, obviously disturbed.

Oshawott reattached the shell to his stomach area and came back to the two, smiling as if nothing unusual had happened. "You see, I told him that if he were to tell anyone, I would do THAT to him." He said, pointing at the severed pieces of wood.

"H-He was serious t-too..." Minun said sheepishly, having lost his usual hyperness, to be replaced with abject terror.

Oshawott couldn't help but laugh. "Of course I was." He said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice, but neither Pikachu or Minun seemed to recognize it.

"So... Were you guys looking for shells? Or is there gonna be a Minun clambake now? Heheheh... Clam... bake... Minun..." Pikachu said, amused at his little joke.

Oshawott couldn't help but stifle a laugh. "Pfft... Clambake... with Minun... pfft..."

Minun wasn't very pleased. "_Hey!_" He whined, "That's not funny!"

Pikachu and Oshawott kept on snickering and chuckling. "Hehee, clambake... 'Cause you got a clam shell on your belly... pfft..." "Heheh... I know, right? Heehee...pffht..."

"Stop laughing at me..." Minun pleaded hopelessly.

Finally, Pikachu and Oshawott both burst out laughing and hollering. "WAHAHA! That's rich! Pure gold! Hahahaha!" "Oh dear me, hahaha... That's... _AHAHAHA! _I'm SO writing that down!" And on and on they went, laughing like maniacs.

Minun sweated a bit. "...I just don't _get_you guys anymore." He said quietly, then left to find more shells while Pikachu and Oshawott continued to bust a gut laughing.

* * *

Shinx and Chikorita sat in the shade under a tree, at the very head of the beach, right on the edge of the forest. They were alone for quite awhile, and an awkward silence reigned for the longest time.

"_Soooo..._" Shinx said, breaking the tense air, "I was wondering, why, of all Pokemon in the world, would you like me? What's it about me that... you know?"

Chikorita looked at him nervously. "Oh... Uhh... I... Well... not until you tell me why you like me!"

"Heheh, okay then... Well... I'm not quite sure myself. You're just so... calm... and polite... and kind... and... something. You just kinda remind me of what I wanna be like... but unfortunately am not."

"You know... there is such a thing as change, Shinx."

"I know there is, but some things don't change. Like, the sun. It always rises and sets during the day. It's on a cycle, it never fails. It's _always_ been that way."

"Are you... sure about that?"

"Pretty sure. Why?"

"Well... Think about this... the world didn't always exist... right? It was created by the Original One, Arceus, right?"

"Err... according to the legends, yes. But it's all speculation."

"Maybe not... but... either way it had to be made at some point. The sun never existed before then, right? It was made along with our world... so... change affects everything."

"Sigh... I see your point Chiko, but I don't see how it relates to me."

"It means that... Oh never mind."

"...Uh, forgetting something?"

"Huh? Oh... right. I, uh... just think you're... kinda cute I guess."

Shinx scoffed at this. "Well, thanks, I guess. Now give me a real reason."

"Oh... Umm... You... seem really... how do I say this... charming... in a way."

"Me? Charming? Those two words weren't meant to be put together."

"And... you're really, umm... smart... and brave... and always like to joke... stuff like that..."

"Is that all? Hmm, well I guess criteria for liking somebody has been lower in recent years."

"Heheh... See? You always like to... inject humor into things, to make it seem... better. Pikachu was able to put up with you, so why can't I?

"Yeah... I guess so."

"...So Shinx..."

"Yes...?"

"I... just wanted to be sure... do you... really like me?"

"Of course I do. Do you like me?"

"Yes... That's... obvious isn't it?"

"It is... so uh..."

"What are you thinking, Shinx?"

"Well... I..." Shinx leaned closer.

Chikorita did too. "I'm listening..."

Shinx leaned even closer. "Do you wanna..."

"Wanna what?"

"Wanna... Aw, screw it." Shinx said, then threw off whatever hesitation he had, and kissed her. And she kissed him back. For a whole minute they were there, kissing each other like a pair of common lovers, until they finally stopped.

Chikorita giggled. "Wow... Our first real kiss..."

"Eh-heh... I guess it was." Shinx said, chuckling somewhat nervously.

Things were silent for a while.

"...Shinx..."

"...Yes?"

"...I _REALLY_ like you."

Shinx smiled. "I know."

* * *

"Ooh, look over there! No, wait! Over there! Look at all these rocks! So SPARKLY! And so SHINY! And so AWESOME!" Plusle squealed, brimming with joy as he ran from one side of the beach to the other in his never-ending quest for rocks.

Piplup groaned. "Why was I stuck with the nut?" She asked herself, and sighed.

Plusle paid little mind to Piplup, and continued looking around for valuable rocks (for his collection at least). "Let's see, Gneiss? Nah, got a bunch of it already. Sandstone? Too much sandstone. Slate? Ooh, it's sparkly! In it goes!" He said, and tossed the rock into a bucket he brought along with him, already half-full from ten minutes of searching. He continued looking despite this, admiring all the rocks he picked up.

"Oh, some limestone? Neat! I'll have to try that vinegar fizzy-thing later." In it went. "Cool! Basalt! That's new!" He threw it in as well. "Granite? Awesomesauce! More for me!" As expected, this was tossed in too. "Wow! So many amazing rocks! Happiness~!" Plusle chimed, and he bounced and pranced all around, getting well ahead of Piplup.

"Plusle... w-wait up..." Piplup called after him, running out of breath. She finally could run and collapsed, trying to catch her breath. "For Arceus' sake... Huff... That boy has a problem... Harff... Oh, my lungs are aching..."

Plusle was, as usual, not aware of Piplup's suffering. He continued to bound away until he was well out of sight, then finally stopped. "Whee! That was so much fun!" Plusle said excitedly, "How 'bout you, Pip? Huh huh? How 'bout you?" He looked around him to try and find her, but Piplup was nowhere in sight.

"Oh, what a slowpoke. Silly Pip! I'll just hafta wait for her then. Such a silly-" But before Plusle could finish talking to himself he heard what sounded like rustling in the nearby forest. And voices. Plusle's curiosity got the better of him though, and he slowly approached to where the noises were coming from, in the thicket.

As he approached the voices became clearer. "_...So that's the plan?_" One rather shady voice asked. "_Exactly how it is. We've got orders you dolts... So don't screw up or I'll have your heads._" Another, very authoritative voice said. "_Y-Yes... of course... We won't fail._" The first voice replied. Three other voices murmured in agreement. Plusle could not see who these voices belonged to, but it was obviously just within the forest, dark as night, even though it was near mid-day by now.

Plusle couldn't hold in his urge anymore, and he spoke. "Hey hey! Is anyone in there?"

Silence.

"_Helloooo? _I know you're there!"

More silence.

"_HEY!_ WHAT GIVES? ANSWER ME!"

This time, there was a sound of rustling leaves and scattered voices that slowly grew distant. Then all was silent.

"You still there?"

No response.

"Okay you! I'm coming in!"

Again, no response, so Plusle slowly began walking into the bush, hesitating only slightly, trying to be as brave as possible. The light of the beach behind him, Plusle slowly moved through the dim underbrush, until he found a small round... thing. It was colored black, with a glossy finish and slightly resembled a rock, so Plusle immediately assumed this is what it was.

"Ooooh!" Plusle squealed, and picked up the rock, examining it closely. "A... I have no idea what the heck this one is but it's SHINY!" Not surprisingly, he tossed this into his bucket too.

"Wow, so many nice things today." He said, completely forgetting about the strange voices earlier. "I wonder if-" He was suddenly cut by someone grabbing him from behind!

"Got'cha you little scamp!" A voice said, scaring the heck out of Plusle.

"_EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!_" He shrieked, and instinctively discharged a large pulse of electricity.

_**BZZAAAAP!**_

The assailant released it's hold on Plusle and fell to the ground, paralyzed. He spun around and backed away from the motionless being, and caught sight of his... or should I say, her face.

"_PIPLUP? ! ?_" Plusle shouted in complete shock, as he looked at the unconscious form of Piplup before him.

"Urrrgh..." Piplup groaned, barely moving.

Plusle stood there in shock, his eyes wide open and unblinking. "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! What will I do? What will I do? What will I do?" He said rapidly, teeth chattering. "Uh... Uhh... Uhhhh... I NEED HELP!"

Plusle bolted out of the forest, tearing across the sandy beach and towards the others, while screaming, "SHINX! PIKACHU! CHIKO! OSHY! MINUN! I NEED HEEEELP!"

Eventually, after the others made sense of his rather rushed story they rushed Piplup to a Pokemon Center, where she was treated for first-degree paralysis, very minor, so a Paralyze Heal did the job right away and Piplup was released from the place without any incident. She never really did forgive Plusle for doing that though.

As the group left for home (with Piplup covered in many bandages, often scowling in Plusle's direction), Plusle looked at the odd, black rock he found._ It's really shiny..._ He thought,_ It feels weird though... It's almost too smooth._

He pushed the thought from his mind and rejoined his brother Plusle before heading home for the night, as did everyone else.

* * *

A/N: Mmkay, didn't expect the chapter to run this long... Ah well, the bigger the better! :) Anyway, to reflect on the chapter: Oshawott, the Sea Otter Pokemon with a weird sense of humor and yet really philosophical way of looking at things, was introduced (yes, in case you were not aware, Oshawott is the water-starter for Pokemon Black & White, and it is in fact it's English name, revealed only recently! (Just in time for this chapter actually!)), and it would seem little Oshy has a crush on Piplup! And on top of that, Pikachu knew love once before! Long ago... will Tammy appear in the future after all? Who knows! Shinx and Chikorita's relationship takes one step further, and Plusle finds an odd rock... right where he heard strange voices... What could that mean? Oh, and Shinx is 100% for-sure in the Pokeathlon. You'll have to wait a little bit for either of those developments to seem relevant though. But I assure you, this story is going somewhere now. ;) (PLOT ALERT!) And to cap it all off, thank you SO MUCH for reading (if you care about the story) and please review! (If you do, receive a free rock from Plusle's collection!)

Fare thee well!

-gl1m0


	12. Past, Present, and Future

**A/N: WELL. It's been some time since the last update folks, and I apologize for that. A bunch of things have been going on for a while that hampered my progress, including - but not limited to - family issues, school, and the sudden popularity of another story of mine; The Pokemon Project. Would've done this sooner, but it seems that Fanfiction is having a problem with the chapter uploader... Still is, as of this update. Thankfully I've managed to work around it. ;) Many thanks to Starsea for helping me out with that! And of course, thanks to you good people out there for sticking with the story. :3**

**Now here's some more good news! As my token of gratitude for those who've been faithfully following the story, I have a grand TWO chapter addition to the story! Strangely enough, a similar situation occurred with my other story. And you know what? The chapters I'm writing now are so much better and long that they put the early ones to shame... Perhaps a rewrite of the first few chaps are due? To possibly lengthen them a modest degree and/or correct any errors? Anyhoo, I won't keep you waiting any longer, so go on and enjoy these chaps from yours truly! :D**

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_"Let... me... go! My mommy and daddy are in there!"_

_"Stop it kid, just stop! There's nothing you can do!"_

_"But...! Croconaw, I have to help them! I have to get them out!"_

_"Listen to me, you can't go in there! You'll only get yourself killed!"_

_"No! I'm going in there-"_

_"You can't! The fire's too intense! That whole building is going to come down any second!"_

_"I said let me go!"_

_"Kid, just face facts! Nothing can be done for them now... Not for anyone in there..."_

_"But... Sniff... I don't wanna-"_

_"...I know how you feel Pichu, I've lost someone too... Huh? Ack! It's coming down! Get back or you'll be crushed!"_

_"Hey! Where are you taking me-" _

_**CRRRRRRAAAAASH! **_

_**"NO! MOMMY! DADDY!"**_

_**

* * *

**_

"Ahhh!" Pikachu suddenly yelled, awoken from his sleep. He was breathing heavily, and quite shaken. Pikachu looked around the room anxiously, before coming to realize it was merely a dream.

Right then, Shinx came bursting through the bedroom door, looking quite distressed. "What what what? ! What happened? ! What's with the screaming? !" he shouted quickly.

Pikachu recoiled a bit from Shinx's sudden appearance, but soon, calmed himself down enough to speak. "I... h-had a bad dream..." he said slowly, his voice breaking a little from fear.

"It was just a... bad dream?" Shinx said, now looking slightly bewildered, "Was it really that bad? You screamed pretty loud, since I was fast asleep until moments ago!"

"Just... a recurring nightmare. It happens occasionally."

"This is the first time I've heard it then... What was it about?"

"...I'd rather not relive it, but... It was about my parents... and how they... y'know..."

"...Died?"

"Yeah... That day has haunted me for years... I don't know why I can't just forget about it and move on..."

"Well Sparky, I can understand something that traumatizing would have an impact... but I never would've guessed that you... Oh, I dunno what to say."

Things were silent for a minute.

"...He saved me y'know. I owe him my life," Pikachu said slowly.

Shinx gave him a rather blank stare. "Ehh? Who now?"

"The Pokemon working with the Fire Brigade in New Haven, Croconaw. We knew each other a little, since he was friends with my parents. He had a brother that was... a victim of that accident as well. Croconaw saw me try to get into the burning building, and he stopped me. Moments later the whole thing came down, and hope for everyone inside was lost. It was awful..."

"...Yikes. You lost your parents in a fire? That really is... terrible. I can't really think of a word to describe it actually. How did it start? The fire?"

"I don't really know... It just... started. No investigation was ever made, for some reason. A week later they cleared all the debris and built new shops and stuff on top of the site. A bunch of Pokemon figured there was foul play, but the Police pronounced it an accident. I have my money on that it was set on purpose..."

"Sparky... I had no idea... I knew that you had a bad life, but... that's just horrible."

"It doesn't matter now anyway... Err... Sorry for waking you up."

"...That's okay, I don't need an apology for that. If it was for no good reason, then we would have problems."

"E-heh... Sure. I better get back to sleep then."

"Oh, right. I gotta hit the hay too. See ya in the morning, Sparky."

Shinx left the room at last, and Pikachu laid back onto his bed, pulling the covers back over him. But no matter how hard he tried, he could not fall asleep again. The image of his dream, the horrible fire that claimed his parents and so many others, was burned into his mind. He was afraid to close his eyes, as whenever he did, those haunting visions came back, and he would open his eyes right up again. Pikachu fought off those thoughts as hard as he could, but soon he wasn't able to keep himself awake any longer, and so he silently slipped into the depths of sleep.

* * *

A few days passed, and by now the buzz over Pikachu's racing victory was starting to dwindle. Granted, Pikachu was still quite popular and the whole town knew who he was, but things were getting quieter. This of course, suited Pikachu and the others just fine, as the noise was sort of cutting into their 'off' hours.

But now, the commotion and dust had settled, so everyone decided it was now a good time to go for an outing. Late one Saturday afternoon, the whole gang (that's Pikachu, Shinx, Piplup, Chikorita, Torchic, Plusle, Minun, and Oshawott) met at Shinx and Pikachu's house to decide exactly what they should do. Shinx was the first to come up with a suggestion.

"I say we go down to the Opal Theater, tonight they're supposed to have some kind of cultural performance," he said, "It's supposed to be about the town's history and such, as well as traditions."

"Boooo-ring~!" Plusle and Minun both whined, "We wanna see a movie! Night Of The Living Banette is out now, and it looks sooooo cool and scary!"

Piplup sighed. "You two are nuts... Don't you remember the LAST time you saw a scary movie?"

"Oi..." Oshawott said, facepawing, "Their stupid 'Ghost Patrol' racket kept the whole neighbourhood awake for three nights straight... All because they saw one episode of 'A Haunting'... Honest to Mew..."

Shinx groaned, shaking his head. "I remember that ALL too well..." he said, glaring at his two cousins, "I had to spend all that time either in a sound-proofed bunker or out in the neighbourhood trying to convince everyone me and them aren't related. Ugh..."

"Well now... that must've sounded like a barrel of laughs didn't it? Hahaha..." Pikachu said, attempting to lighten the situation, but soon noticed everyone was giving him a rather cold stare. "Hahaha... Ha... Heh... Uh... Err... Sorry."

Plusle and Minun looked around nervously, then tried to defend themselves. "H-Hey, you can never be too careful, right?" Plusle said sheepishly, "I mean, there ARE such a thing as ghosts after all... And we thought it would be a good idea to-"

"-To bust out a couple of heavy-duty lanterns and vacuum cleaners before roaming the neighbourhood making such a huge ruckus, all because you were looking for ghosts that would 'haunt' you? From ten at night to eight in the morning? !" Shinx snapped.

"...Uh, we wanted to make sure there were no gho-"

"THERE WERE NO GHOSTS AT ALL! Never has been, and never will be! Listen to yourselves, you sound like a bunch of pussies!"

"Hey! If a ghost came and haunted you, then who would help? No one, that's who! We were actually helping the community!"

"If I may interject," Oshawott said, sighing, "It isn't really 'helping' if you were keeping everyone from getting a well-deserved sleep..."

"Uhh, but we-"

"That's enough," Piplup interrupted, "We've gone far enough off-topic as it is, let's just discuss this later, okay?"

Plusle and Minun grumbled a bit, then fell silent.

"Thank you. Now then, where were we?" said Piplup.

"We were thinking of a place to go to, and I suggested the Opal Theater. Ringy-de-bell?" Shinx reminded her bluntly.

"Oh yeah, that's right," Piplup said, then got back on track, "That does sound like a good idea Shinx! Any other suggestions?"

Pikachu raised his paw, then spoke. "I heard there was this place downtown that has an indoor mini-golf thing, maybe it would be fun to check out?"

Piplup thought for a moment. "The Mini-Golf course? That sounds nice too, and we could probably do both today if we have time."

"Um? Newsflash guys," Shinx interrupted, "Mini-Golf requires arms and hands, and as you can plainly see... Me and Chiko lack those."

Pikachu looked down at Shinx, and Chikorita too, and realized that he was right. Since they both walked on all fours, it would be very difficult for them to play Mini-Golf, if at all. Feeling rather silly, Pikachu apologized and turned away, a bit red in the face from forgetting such a critical little detail.

Laughing, Piplup reassured him, "Now now, don't be so embarrassed. I forgot too! Haha... Well, I suppose you, me, Torchic, Plusle, Minun, and Oshy would love to play sometime anyway, if Shinx and Chikorita don't mind."

"Eh, that's fine. As long as you don't leave us out in the cold." Shinx said, shrugging.

Chikorita nodded. "Umm, yeah... That's okay. We'll find something else to do when you're doing that..."

"So, we're good on the theater and mini-golf thing then?" Piplup asked everyone.

"S-Sure! That would be great!" Oshawott said quickly, beaming.

Pikachu smiled and nodded. "I'm up for it. Should be a lot of fun!" he said.

"Yeah yeah! Sounds like a plan!" Torchic chirped enthusiastically.

Plusle and Minun agreed with surprisingly little vigor, but at least to them a mini-golf round would be better than a ultra-boring theater shtick. "Yeah, sure. Sounds alright," "Okey-hay... That's good I guess," the two of them said solemnly, but they then leaned close to each other and whispered, "We'll sneak out to watch that movie later!" "Yeah, totally!" No one heard this though, as everyone was still talking.

"Alright then!" Piplup said, clapping her flippers together, "I guess that's what we're doing! It's about... four o'clock PM now... So that means...?"

"That performance doesn't start 'till six, so you guys have plenty of time to do that Mini-Golf thing if you want," Shinx clarified.

"Sounds okay to me, but what are you two going to do to pass the time? Do you wanna come with us anyway?"

"Ehh... I'm not real sure... maybe... Uh, what do you think Chiko?"

Chikorita thought for a moment. "I... well... umm... I dunno... It wouldn't be very fun to sit by and do nothing... so..."

"I agree," Shinx said, "Wouldn't be the best way to spend an evening, eh? Maybe we can tour around the area a bit, maybe there'll be a diner or something to go to for a bit."

Piplup spent a moment contemplating this, then smiled. "Yeah, I guess that would be okay. I agree with you both anyway. You won't mind having to be with Shinx, right Chikorita?"

"Uhh, no! No, not at all... It's just fine with me... right Shinx?" Chikorita replied, and looked at Shinx expectantly.

Shinx shrugged as nonchalantly as he could, and said, "Sure, sure. Sounds interesting enough I guess."

Of course, both Chikorita and Shinx both knew - as did Pikachu - that it was more than okay. Any excuse to spend time together suited them just fine. Pikachu knew full well what kind of things they could possibly do, which made him spontaneously stifle a laugh. That must've been more-than-noticable, as every eye turned on him.

"What's the matter Pikachu? I could've sworn I heard you laugh..." Piplup asked curiously, narrowing her eyes a bit.

Pikachu nervously glanced from side to side. He'd dare not say exactly what, since Shinx was giving him a look that simply screamed, "Don't you dare!" Though he had little idea exactly what to say, Pikachu settled with, "I just remembered something funny from a long while ago, it's nothing, I swear."

Piplup didn't seem satisfied with this answer. "...Okay, what was it then?"

"Uhh... It's not really important."

"Go on, I'm curious..."

"...I... I... It was... when, um, when... Plusle... accidentally... zapped you? Eh-heh..."

Now, if looks could kill, then Pikachu would be dead before he hit the floor. Piplup obviously didn't appreciate that reminder, since she gave him a VERY nasty glare. She said nothing, but turned to give Plusle a dirty look too, to which he responded to by whistling innocently as if nothing was the matter.

Sitting down, Piplup grumbled, "...I thought it was established we'd not bring that up again..."

"Well," Pikachu said defensively, "I never wanted to say it... uh... but you made me, so it's kinda your-" He noticed the look Piplup was giving him. "Uh... never mind..."

Piplup shook her head dismissively while Shinx did a mental face slap. "Whatever," Piplup said, "Let's get underway with this thing before I... You know."

Everyone there silently nodded, and then all proceeded to follow each other out the front door (Shinx was sure to lock up of course). The group walked down the street, passing by all those houses under the late-afternoon sun. They all chatted with each other loosely about various things, though Plusle and Minun were surprisingly quiet. Of course, they weren't doing anything they liked, so it was only natural.

But something unusual demanded Pikachu's attention while he was walking with the group down the street. At one point along the way, there was a T-shaped intersection that they walked by. Normally, they'd ignore this, as it just lead to another residential dead-end, but this time was different. Pikachu happened to glance down that lane, and saw, in the distance, something - a Pokemon - that appeared somewhat small, yellow, and... shaped like... himself? Granted, it was hard for him to make out the overall shape very well. He couldn't manage a better look though, since the Pokemon had by then vanished into a house. Pikachu never gave it a second thought, so he looked away and continued walking with the group.

"I must've been seeing things..."

* * *

It wasn't a really long trip to the downtown area, considering Pokeville wasn't the biggest town ever, but it still took a good twenty minutes of walking to reach it. Plusle and Minun, who often lead the group on walks to downtown, were actually lagging rather far behind during the entire length of the walk (which is rare).

Feeling a bit concerned, Pikachu slowed down and intentionally lagged behind the group as well, so he could fall back and talk to the two brothers.

"Hey, guys?" Pikachu asked the two, now walking beside them, "What's the matter? Are you not feeling well or something?"

Plusle glanced at him and sighed. "Define 'feeling well'..." he replied glumly.

Pikachu gave him a confused look ."Err... What?"

"Can't you see?" Plusle complained, "We don't wanna go to that stupid and dumb 'performance' thing..."

"It's SOOOOOOO boring..." Minun whined, and sighed heavily.

"...Well, have you thought of anything else to do?" Pikachu asked. Plusle opened his mouth to respond, but before he could Pikachu continued, "...That doesn't involve scary movies?"

Plusle clammed up, and looked away. "...No," he said quietly.

"Nope..." Minun concurred.

Pikachu thought for a moment, then suggested, "Well, what's wrong with the Mini-Golf we have planned? Won't that be fun?"

"I... I... guess so..." Plusle said, his mood brightening a bit, "But... what about after that? We'll have to go to that stupid show thing anyway!"

"Or maybe not. I can probably work some magic so that you won't have to go..." Pikachu said, and flashed a small smile.

Plusle and Minun both looked up at him with expressions of surprise. "You can do that?" Minun inquired, sounding somewhat excited. "Yeah yeah? No kidding?" Plusle also said, and a broad smile appeared on both their faces.

Pikachu's smile grew wider. "I'll see what I can do. Maybe I can even... Oh, we'll have to see."

The electric mouse trotted ahead to catch up with the group, and Plusle and Minun began eagerly chatting between themselves. "D'ya really think he can convince them to let us skip that boring show?" "I hope so! Pikachu is their bestest friend! Of course he can!" "Ooh, ooh! Maybe he can see if we can watch that...?" "I don't think they'll let us do that even if Pikachu asks..." "Ah, fooey! I wanna watch it so bad, too..." "Don't be so down, bro! We'll see it alright!" "But... What if they say no-" "Don't worry, I have a plan..."

While Plusle and Minun were busy talking to each other, Pikachu sidled back up alongside the group. Shinx gave him a curious gaze, then said, "Sparky, I dunno what you were saying to those two but they seem a bit more cheery again."

"Well," Pikachu replied, shrugging, "I just gave them a little talk to see what their problem was, and managed to cheer them up a little-"

"Personally I liked it better when they were acting all depressed and sad," Shinx cut in, snickering, "Hey, it's more fun for me seeing them like that, since they're are always so happy... It's pretty funny lookin' at them both with those silly little frowns on their faces, heheheh..."

Pikachu rolled his eyes. _Of course, _he thought,_since when does Shinx EVER care about Plusle or Minun..._

"A-ny-way..." Shinx continued, hoping to shake off the topic of his cousins, "How d'ya think you'll do at that mini-golf thing?"

"Err, well, It's been ages since I last played it... so I guess... I'll do okay? Eheh. "

"Better hope so. Piplup is pretty good at it, so don't be surprised if you fall a little flat compared to her! Ahaha..."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Not trying to be rude Sparky, I'm just pointing out that you might be beaten by a girl."

Pikachu started to become a little red in the face. "I-I'm not worried about that! I can... um... handle her just fine!"

Shinx shook his head. "Don't hold your breath. She's a PRO at that game. I've got bets on her, buddy. Her or Torchic, since that feathered-fluff tends to catch on to things real quick. But hey, at least you should do better than Oshawott."

"Why's that?"

"Heheh, he SUCKS at that game. Every time we've gone to the mini-golf place, he always ends up failing horribly and falls behind us."

"Then... why does he even play it?"

"Heck if I know. No matter how badly he screws up, ol' Oshy always puts on a smile and never looks back on it. In context, that would be a pretty nice trait to have, but it doesn't make a lot of sense to me..."

"Oh, that's neat." Of course, Pikachu knew the real reason Oshawott would always go with them. How did he know? The otter Pokemon told Pikachu his biggest secret days ago on the beach, about how he has feelings for Piplup. Minun was the only other to know of this secret as well. Quite simply, Oshawott would accompany the group to mini-golf because Piplup would always go, too.

Shinx nodded absentmindedly, then looked ahead and saw that their destination was coming close. "Oh hey Sparky, that's the joint right over there," he said, raising a pointing paw, "C'mon guys, let's hurry along then."

The entire group picked up the pace, and soon came right up to the small building in Pokeville's downtown. Pikachu remembered passing by this area when he first came to this town; the numerous shops, businesses, and other random buildings all around the street. It was surprisingly not that busy, but a fair number of Pokemon were walking here and there. A few even waved hello to the group (it was most likely targeted at Pikachu, whose name was still known by many), so they waved back.

"Alright guys," Piplup said, stopping in front of the indoor mini-golf course, "This is it. I guess that means me, Pikachu, Oshy, Torchic, Plusle and Minun will be going in here, and you and Chiko will be off... somewhere?"

"Sounds about right. We'll find something in this place to amuse ourselves," Shinx replied, looking slightly bored.

Chikorita nodded. "Umm... Yeah. We'll find something else to do, don't worry about us."

"Okay then, if you two are so sure," Piplup said, shifting glances at both Shinx and Chikorita, "Let's go, guys." She led the group inside the building, but Pikachu stayed behind a moment while everyone went inside. After it was only the three of them left on that block, Pikachu began talking.

"So... Shinx? Chikorita? I'll go in with Piplup while you two go and do your 'thing,'" he said with a nudge and quick wink.

Shinx rolled his eyes. "Ah, knock it off Sparky. We're only gonna be out there as proper friends... got that?"

"Oh yeah... I get you a hundred percent and counting. Ooo, are those wedding bells I hear?"

"Okay, seriously. You and I know that's not the case with us. Sure, we may like each other-"

"You DO like each other, I know! Like each other a LOT that is!" Just to annoy him, Pikachu started making loud, silly kissing noises, which caused Shinx to rattle with anger, and made Chikorita giggle a bit.

"Grr! Sparky, will you knock that off!" Shinx snapped, "You're making a scene! Remember what we agreed?"

Pikachu suddenly remembered, and frowned. "Oh... right... Sorry buddy. I forgot about that. And sorry to you too, Chiko. Don't worry, I promise not to tell anyone about... you two... together. Heh."

Shinx's anger subsided, and he smiled. Chikorita giggled a little, then said, "Oh, thanks for understanding, Pikachu! You're so trustworthy!" She came up to Pikachu and gave him a tiny "thank-you" kiss on the cheek, making him blush a bit with embarassment.

"Err, it's nothing really... Eheh... I can do that in my... uh... sleep?"

"Oh, Pikachu. You're so silly, too! Heehee..."

Shinx came forward and separated the two, clearing his throat loudly. He then turned to talk with Chikorita. "C'mon, Chiko. Aren't I a trustworthy guy, too?"

"Well," Chikorita said, giggling again, "That's something we'll definitely have to work on. Don't worry, I can teach you easy."

"Aww, that hurts my feelings," Shinx replied playfully, "Am I at least charming?"

Chikorita blushed intensely. "D'oh, okay, you got me there! Heehee!"

"Come on then, let's get going someplace. See ya later Sparky!"

Shinx and Chikorita began walking away, but Pikachu couldn't help making those silly kissing noises again. Laughing gently, Pikachu then walked back into the building to follow the Piplup and the others (ignoring the soul-splitting gaze that his friend Shinx was giving him as both he and Chikorita left).

* * *

**A/N: That's not it yet folks! Chapter 13 is after this, so please read on! The full Author's Notes for Chapter 12/13 at the end of Chapter 13 if you're so concerned about that. (And remember, the Review button is your best friend! ;D) **


	13. The Ball Keeps Rolling On

**A/N: Just a little FYI for Pokeville readers: There's a poll on my profile page where you can vote for your favorite major character of the story. If you haven't already, then go ahead and check it out! Oh, and I also was thinking about introducing one or two new characters to the story. If you have any personal favorite Pokemon, from any generation, then I may consider them if you make a review with your suggestion! Minor characters are also open to suggestion. I have ideas myself, but I think I'd like to see what you folks think. :)**

* * *

Inside the Mini-Golf place (which according to a sign was called the "Putt-A-Mon Center", for lack of a better pun), Pikachu bumped into the group, who all seemed like they were waiting for him. "Where WERE you, Pikachu?" Piplup demanded, "Something hold you up? We were waiting for what must've been 5 minutes!"

"Eh... Sorry... Got caught up talking with... someone," Pikachu said, scratching behind his ear.

Piplup didn't seem very happy about nearly losing him. "Oh... We were wondering where you were! Was it really that important?"

"...Not really, but I'm here now, so why are you complaining?"

"I'm not, I'm just... Ugh, whatever... Just hurry up! We've already got the putters and golf balls, so go and get yours already!"

Pikachu was not one to argue. He quickly hurried to the front desk, where he received his tools from the Pansage clerk: A yellow-handled putter and a yellow golf ball, obviously to match his own coloring. "Ya'll take care now, and have fun!" the clerk said cheerfully. Pikachu thanked the clerk and walked back to the group, putter and ball in both paws. "Alright, I'm game! Where do we start?"

"Haha... 'Hole 1' obviously! Come on you guys!" Piplup led the whole group, now with Pikachu, towards the first hole (the first 'course' for those not familiar with golf lingo). A rather basic setup, really. The course went straight for several feet, leading to the actual hole in the ground - about two inches across - where the golf ball must be hit into. Pikachu watched on as Piplup started first.

She aligned herself at the starting point, setting the ball on the ground, then focused up a shot. Pulling the putter back just a bit, she then gave the ball a fairly forceful hit, sending it rolling along the green felt until at last reaching the hole - falling inside with a hollow_ "thunk!"_

"Oh yes!" Piplup bragged, "Hole in one! Woo!"

Oshawott came up beside her, and laughed weakly. "Heh, um... Great shot, Piplup. _Excellent _actually. As usual, I guess."

The penguin Pokemon smirked. "Of course, I can be so fabulous sometimes! Aren't I not?"

"Oh! Ummm... W-w-well..." Oshawott stammered, starting to visibly sweat, "O-of course! Y-y-you always a-are! H-Heh..."

Pikachu sighed, and shook his head. Minun did the same. Obviously, the otter was quite jittery when in such close proximity to his love interest. Only natural, of course, but Piplup didn't seem to notice at all. "Yes, yes... I AM pretty great... Oh, it's your turn next, Oshy."

"M-Me? Oh, right..." Oshawott went to take his shot, in a similar setup and stance to Piplup, only he had problems the moment he tried to swing the club. _SMACK!_ He had overpowered the actual swing a tad much, since the ball went flying _off the course _and into a nearby decorative pond. "Ohhh... Again..." he said, briefly downcast, then for some reason brightened up, "Well, looks like I went and screwed up again! Hahaha! Oh well, there's always next time!"

_Talk about a good sport, even if he does suck... _Pikachu thought.

_"There's been a _**_million_**_ 'next times'..." _Plusle said under his breath, which Piplup responded to by briefly firing him a nagging look.

Oshawott was more than happy about fetching his ball from the pond (since he can swim, no duh), and momentarily popped out of the water after diving in seconds ago. "Found it! Wow, and guess what? There's a surprising number of seashells down here!

"Really? !" Minun squealed, suddenly excited, and rushed to the side of the pond while Oshawott shoveled out pawloads of the calcium-formed clam carapaces. After a nice pile was made, the two of them began sorting through them like lightning, but the rest of the group hardly paid any attention. Soon, they were finished, a new bucket commandeered to carry the shells, leaving a very happy duo of collectors.

Pikachu watched on as Torchic, Plusle, and Minun each took their turns (earning stroke points of 2, 3, and 5 respectively), then it was finally his own turn. As he came up to the starting mat and set down his ball, he suddenly recalled a touching memory, dating back a few years... to when he still knew his love...

_..._

_... ..._

_...Hey! Pichu, no fair! You cheated!_

_Heehee! Not my fault that this game is so easy!_

_Easy my butt! It's hard! I can't make the ball go where I want it to!_

_Tammy, you're doing it wrong. Here, let me show you..._

_Okay... So... You hold it like this?_

_Exactly. Hold the putter really tight, or you might throw it again!_

_I didn't mean to hit that statue! It was in the way!_

_Okay, okay... It was an accident. Now, just pull the club back ever-so-slightly..._

_Oooookay..._

_And then, look where you want it to go..._

_Doing that..._

_And look at the ball again, then pull back just a teensy further and... hit it! Not too hard, not too soft._

_Oh! Look! It actually went to the hole!_

_What'd I tell you-_

_WOW! I got a hole in one! My first ever hole in one!_

_Hahaha, and who was it that helped you?_

_Oh, Pichu... _You _did. _

_But it was your ball, so... Technically _you_ did it. _

_Aww, thanks Pichi! _

_I thought I said never to call me that, didn't I?_

_But it's soooo cute! Come on, pleeeeeease?_

_Oh okay, fine. Pichi it is. _

_Heehee... Pichi... I love you..._

_...I do too. I love you too. I really do..._

_... ... ..._

_... ..._

_..._

...Memories like these would bug Pikachu often. That old nickname Tammy used to call him, "Pichi"... He thought it was silly, but accepted it anyway since he liked her so much. Nay, Pikachu LOVED Tammy, and she loved him back. How could he ever forget times or moments like that? But given that he was separated from her long ago... Well, Pikachu believed Tammy was out there, somewhere. Exactly where never did occur to him. And he would likely never know.

"...Pikachu? Pikachu? Pikachu!" Piplup suddenly shouted, startling Pikachu from his trance, "Wake up! Are you just dozing off on us again?"

"Huh? Oh! Umm... I was just... recalling something..."

"Really? What is it?"

"Eh... Not really important, but... It doesn't matter anyhow."

"Hmm, well, okay then... So, are you gonna putt or what? Heh, rhyme..."

"Um, oh... Yeah... I'll get right on that."

Wasting no time, Pikachu repositioned himself on the mat and fixed his eyes on the golf ball set at his feet. Pulling back the putter a bit, still eyeing the ball, he gave it a hard whack - but not as hard as Oshawott did - and that sent the small yellow ball rolling across the green at very high speed. It clattered and clacked as it struck one wall, then another, and another still as the ball bounced around the course like a pinball machine.

"Er... Oops?" Pikachu stammered nervously, watching the yellow ball - missile is a more proper word - as it clattered around.

Piplup started howling with laughter while the others tried to train their eyes on the ball's path without success. "Hah! That's hilarious! Look at it! It's just bouncing and rolling around hopelessly! Wow Pikachu, you must really su-" Her sentence was cut short by an all-too-familiar sound.

_Cling clang! _Plop!

Against all odds, the ball somehow shot right into the hole. It was almost in slow-motion: The ball ricocheted off one wall, and crashed into another, sending it into the air in the opposite direction, before the yellow projectile dove right into the hole. Pikachu's immediate response was "Whoa!", followed by the others - sans Piplup - cheering.

"How did you DO that!" Plusle squealed, suddenly excited. His brother Minun also chipped in with, "Holy hermitcrab! That was so COOL!"

Torchic and Oshawott seemed very impressed - stunned, even - with the sudden miracle, but Piplup merely waved it off with little regard. "Meh, beginner's luck. It'll be different next time, I'm sure."

Pikachu just shrugged, trying to hold back a desire to brag. He knew that shot was an accident, but he DID just get lucky. _I'll have to focus next time. _Pikachu thought, _I can't rely on dumb luck on _every _chance I have._

And so, it was on to Hole 2. This one was a bit trickier, but still not particularly different, since it only contained one ninety degree turn (there was a panel in place at forty-five degrees of angle, to aid in getting a good shot).

Like before, Piplup went first - as she got a hole-in-one last course. And also like before, she was able to hit the ball with precision, causing it to roll into the hole after bouncing off the turning angle. "Mmm-hm! That's how it's done!" she said boastfully, "Okay Pikachu, you got a hole-in-one too, so you're next."

Pikachu slowly strolled up to the starting mat, set down his golf ball, and took a ready position. This time, he tightened his focus even more, staring intently at the ball. He then trailed his gaze along a line toward his target - which was the spot on the angled panel that would bounce the ball towards the hole, hopefully sinking it. Grasping the putter tightly, Pikachu gently pulled it back... and with a _Clack! _the ball was launched away from its original position, and moments later struck the corner angle.

Holding his breath, Pikachu watched with dread and then sudden relief as the ball rolled in a near perfectly straight line towards the hole, and plopped into it. Clunk! Once again, he got a hole-in-one. Everyone besides Piplup started cheering, but like before she wasn't really mindful of it.

"Yeah yeah yeah... You got lucky, buddy, _once_again," Piplup said, waving her flipper dismissively, "Next is... Torchic!"

And so, Torchic proceeded to take his turn, followed by everyone else - Plusle, Minun, and Oshawott. Speaking of whom, the otter Pokemon once again put on a fantastic display of failure. THIS time, he accidentally shot the golf ball at a nearby light fixture, but it missed and instead struck Plusle in the stomach. "Oooof!"

"Eeep! Oh clams! Plusle are you okay?" Oshawott exclaimed.

"Nrrgh..." Plusle grumbled, pulling himself off the ground, "Thanks a lot... Hotshot..."

Torchic couldn't help but pipe up. "Nice shootin, Tex!" he chirped, and everyone glared at him. "Umm... Bad?"

Piplup sighed, and face-slapped. "Oshy... Really... This is getting out of hand... Be careful, okay?"

"S-sorry... I'm sorry... I... lost control there..." Oshawott said, hanging his head.

"I'll say you have!" Plusle whined, clutching his stomach in pain.

Pikachu groaned. _What a day... _he thought, _Is there no end to someone getting hurt every couple days? Oshy really IS bad at this game..._

Oshawott wiped away a bead of sweat, both feeling bad and quite embarrassed. "But I really am sorry..."

Despite the occurrence, everyone soon calmed down and proceeded on with the game. Plusle and Oshawott avoided eye contact with each other a lot - the former often scowling in his direction and the latter feeling sorry for himself. Nevertheless, they all continued with the game. The result was pretty much the same every time. Pikachu and Piplup got either hole-in-ones (or hole-in-twos, for lack of a better term), Torchic would always make the par limit, and Plusle and Minun lagged behind with bogie after bogie - and maybe the odd par. Oshawott did terribly, as could be expected, always shooting out-of-bounds or many strokes past the limit.

But no matter what, the otter would always try and smile, seeing as how he wanted to put on a good image for Piplup. Funnily enough, it never occured to Oshawott that failing constantly made him look like an idiot. Whatever he had in mind, it never mattered to anyone else. _Practice makes perfect..._ he kept telling himself, _Even if the perfect isn't what others'd expect._

On the 7th hole, Pikachu finally approached Oshawott and quietly asked, "Why do you try? Do you really care about Piplup that much?"

"Of course I do," he whispered back, "She likes golf, so I figure me trying to get good at it is the key to her heart! Then I can ask her out!"

"Um... Golf may be the key, but your golfing skills are the worst... They're so... I don't wanna go there. It's just- Wait, you never told her how you feel?"

Oshawott bit his lip. "...Not yet. I'm way too nervous, okay?"

"Sigh... Face it, at this rate... You'll be lucky if she'll even talk to you after this. The incident with Plusle didn't make it any better."

"..."

"The point is, you need help. One way or another."

"Look! I don't need help, okay? I can figure it out myself!"

"But Oshy-"

"I already said _no! _Sure, it's nice that I can talk with you about this, but now? I have business to do."

With that, Oshawott gave Pikachu a tiny shove to push him away, and proceeded to take his shot. Like before, it failed miserably; the light blue ball flew off towards the Pansage at the front desk (whom had decided to take a little nap) and nearly hit him. The resulting racket startled him awake, and he flashed an angry gaze towards them. "Hey!" he shouted to the group, "Watch where yer hittin' them things!"

"Sorry!" Pikachu said on behalf of Oshawott, who was looking at the floor despondently.

"...I really suck," he said quietly, rubbing his head with embarrassment.

Pikachu had enough. He didn't care if Oshawott wanted help or not, he wasn't going to sit around and watch that poor thing make a fool out of himself in front of everyone (Pikachu noted that if Shinx were here, he'd be rolling on the floor with laughter, ESPECIALLY since Plusle got hit in the stomach by a golf ball).

Stepping up to him, Pikachu grabbed Oshawott by the shoulders and spoke right into his face, in order to make his point clear. "Oshy! Seriously, you need help. This is craziness!"

"I said I needed not help- I mean, I don't need help!"

"You hit Plusle with a rogue ball, and nearly hit that clerk! You DO need help - whether you think you need it or not!"

"I second that!" the Pansage clerk called from afar. Plusle and Minun were quick to agree as well (the former giving Oshawott the most soul-piercing stare he could manage). Piplup simply nodded gently.

Oshawott sighed. "Oh... Okay... Fine. Help me if you want, just _promise _me you won't make me look bad," he whispered.

"You don't need my help doing _that_," Pikachu joked, chuckling, "But seriously, I'll help you out. Just like I did with 'You-know-who.'"

"...Plusle?"

"No. I meant... my old... friend. Yeah."

"Oh, I see... Well..."

"Let's get started then, okay? We'll redo your shot on this hole. Just stand on the mat and show me how you prepare to hit the ball."

"Um... Okay." Oshawott waddled into place at the start of the hole, and prepped the ball and putter before getting into a poor stance.

Pikachu shook his head. "No no no, you gotta stand straight up, and hold the club really tight."

"Ohh, sorry..." He shifted into a different position. "Better?"

"Almost. A little bit more to the side... and... great. Now, next thing to keep in mind: look right at the ball."

"...I've been doing that for the last two minutes."

"Are you focusing on the ball? If not, then it's pointless. Just imagine how you want the ball to roll."

"Ooookay... Focusiiiiing... Or at trying toooo..."

"Ugh. Let's move on... Do you see the hole?"

"Uh... Oh, yeah, it's right over there. There's a few rocks jutting out of the mat that are in the way though..."

"Forget about them. Focus on the green path. Green means go, right? Anyway, just think of a path the ball should take."

"Well, it could pass between those rocks-"

"Don't tell _me. _Tell _yourself._"

"...Sure. ...Uh-huh... Oh... Okay! Got it!"

"Well, that was quick. Now, just gently pull back the putter, like this-" Pikachu took a light hold of the putter to guide Oshawott along. "-And then look again where you want it to go."

"Okay, I see it..."

"Look back at the ball, and... give that ball a GENTLE little tap."

Tap.

"...That was SO amazing. Just _look _at the distance it went. Cough cough."

"Okay, you can hit it a fair bit harder than that. I figured you always hit golf balls into the stratosphere, so a gentle hit for you would be a strong hit for anyone else."

"..."

"...Jokes aside, just hit it like-" _Clack!_ "-That!"

Clunk!

"Mollusks above! Did I... do that?"

"Wanna see a replay?"

"We have one?"

"Nope."

"Crud."

It was truly a miracle for the otter Pokemon. Though he required a little last-minute tutoring from Pikachu, Oshawott somehow pulled off - drum roll please - a _hole-in-one!_

Everyone gasped. "Whoa! Oshy really did it he did!" Torchic chirped. "T-that was awesome! Go go Oshy-Watt! Woooo!" Minun cheered, while his brother simply grumbled and rubbed his stomach while muttering, "Yeah yeah, whoop-dee-doo..." Despite everything, Piplup was actually impressed at Oshawott's success! "Nice going, Oshy! Your first hole-in-one! First time you ever actually sunk a golf ball at all actually!"

Oshawott blushed intensely. "Tee-hee... Uh, yeah... I guess it was. I _am_ pretty great-"

"-And I helped," Pikachu cut in, "But yes, Oshawott... Er, Oshy managed it. All I did was show him how it's done." He patted him on the back and laughed. "You think you can manage the next hole?"

"Well, I'm not sure... But... Oh, what the hey, sure I can!"

Pikachu smiled. "That's the spirit. Now let's get going!"

It seemed like vigor and happiness was sparked again, thanks to Pikachu. On the next hole (one of those courses with multiple turns), everyone played out their turn, with the usual and expected results. Since Oshawott got a hole-in-one last time too, he went right after Pikachu and Piplup. Other than some encouragement and reminders, Pikachu didn't directly assist him - purely because he wanted to see if his skill improved any. Granted, Pikachu didn't expect Oshawott to catch on right away to the game without help, but he hoped for the best. (But just to be safe, he took shelter behind a nearby statue.)

Though tense, the otter managed to steel himself and remembered everything Pikachu told him. _Let's see... Stand up straight... Doing that... Hold club tightly, check. Look where the ball should go... Check. Focus on the ball... Ooookay... Now I... What was the next- Oh, right! Gently pull back... and... _Smack! _Do that!_

Now, Oshawott might just be one of the luckiest of his kind. The ball shot straight forward, and hit the first corner, sending it reeling into the next corner, and the next, and the next... On and on it went. The ball didn't _quite_make it all the way to the hole, but it was pretty darn close - at roughly a few inches. All he had to do at that point was walk up to the ball, give it a very gentle tap with his putter, and it went in. All of his friends, Pikachu included, started cheering. This was the first time he played a hole by himself, and didn't screw up terribly.

"Yes!" he cheered, "I did it! I actually played a course _by myself!_" Oshawott turned to his mentor. "And I owe it all to you... sensei. Heheheh..."

Pikachu chuckled. "Please, I was just trying to help. You REALLY needed it."

"I suppose I did... Thanks Pikachu, for what you did. I'm sorry I wasn't very willing to take your help earlier... It's a pride thing, really. But now I feel like an idiot..."

"You were _acting_like one," Piplup suddenly interrupted, "But that doesn't mean you_ are _one."

Oshawott looked pretty surprised. "P-Piplup, I..."

"You don't need to apologize to me at all. In fact, _I _should be apologizing to _you_. If you needed help that much, then I really should've helped you out... Which begs the question: Why didn't you ever ask ME for help?"

"Uhmm... I... Er... You see... I was... too nervous to... ask..."

"Why? I don't bite."

_"Much,"_Plusle whispered, giggling to himself and Minun.

Piplup ignored them. "Seriously though, why?"

"Because... I just like hanging around here... With you specifically." Oshawott knew he was digging pretty deep, but knew he had to say _something_.

"...Well, that's flattering and all, but can't you say why?"

"I... can say it like this: watashi wa anata o aishite."

"Eh...? And... what does that mean?"

"It's Japanese. As in Japan. It's where I used to live, but I'm sure you already know that." He took a deep breath. _Here goes nothing._ "That phrase means, quite simply, in a sense, 'I love you.' I do. There, I admit it..."

Piplup looked very bewildered. "Whaaaa... You..."

"Ugh, I know, I'm hopeless aren't I? I swear to Mew... I can't even admit that I'm totally into you until now..."

Silence reigned for the longest time.

Pikachu coughed. "Well, this is... awkward." Minun facepawed. Plusle just stood there, eyes widened. Torchic casted nervous glances from side to side. Piplup didn't say a word. Oshawott's face had become very red with embarrassment, and he hung his head and backed away a couple steps. "...Yeah. I know. It's quite a shock... But... If you don't feel that way about me then it's okay, I'll just... Go walk over here..."

The otter Pokemon turned and walked away, not stopping until reaching the exit door. He took one last look at the group, then sighed and pushed the door open, and stepped outside. Silence continued.

"Uhh... Fellas?" a voice said, and the group turned to the source. It was the Pansage. "Fergive me fer prying an' proddin', but... Ah seen you had a little problem."

Pikachu sighed. "We did, unfortunately. To be honest, I knew all about that situation before it began. Minun did too."

"Don't drag me into this!" Minun protested, but Pikachu ignored him.

"The point is," he continued, turning to Piplup, "Oshawott liked you for the longest while now. He still likes you. Heck, he loves you! You couldn't tell that he was at least interested in you?"

Though at first silent, Piplup responded, "Well... He IS my friend... We hang out sometimes... Okay, a lot of times. But, I never would have thought that he..." She trailed off.

"...C'mon Pip - I know you don't like being called that, but I need you to work with me here - can't you see? He's totally into you. He told me himself just days ago. If he is your friend... Why don't you just give him a chance?"

"But, Pikachu... I don't think I... Er... What does he see in me anyway?"

"Heck if I know. But I _do_know that Oshy's fallen for you. And he looked so upset... Can't you at least talk to him?"

"Talk to him... I dunno..."

Pansage cleared his throat loudly. "Ah'd say that'd be best. Go get 'im, then!"

"...Okay, I'll see what I can do."

Piplup walked out the door, to follow Oshawott, leaving everyone else behind.

Plusle shot Minun a look. "You knew that Oshy like Pip and you told me! I'm your brother!"

"B-but," Minun sputtered, "He swore me to secrecy! He would've chopped me in half! _Half!_ With a _shell!"_

"So what? What could he do?"

"You didn't see... the log..."

"Log?"

"...Pikachu?"

Pikachu weakly laughed. "Yeah... Oshy sliced apart a big chunk of wood... like it was jello."

Plusle's mouth dropped open, and Pikachu nodded slowly.

"Exactly. You shoulda seen it, really."

"Okay, now I'm interested," Torchic piped up, "What was said and what was done?"

The Pansage spoke again. "Hey, ah want in on this too."

Looking around the group, Pikachu heaved a sigh. "Okay, okay. It's no secret anymore, so it went like this..."

* * *

Oshawott slowly walked down the sidewalk. How did things degrade so fast? All it began with was Piplup asking why he never asked for help with golfing... Really, how did it? Sighing miserably, he stopped and looked up into the sky. Just like him, the sky seemed to be clouding over. It was getting a bit chilly too. Thank goodness for him that he was well-insulated. How could he swim in cold water otherwise? Regardless, he did feel a bit liberated from getting that confession off his chest, even if it was unfounded.

No matter how hard he tried, Oshawott found it difficult to not cry. No WAY would he be seen on the streets of Pokeville crying like a... like a... baby, or whatever. He took deep breaths to calm himself, and found a mail box to lean on for a rest. Casually wiping away a tear that he accidentally let slip, Oshawott heard a voice that made him jump. "Oshy?"

"Wah!" Oshawott would've jumped out of his pants if he even wore any, since the voice belonged to the last Pokemon he'd expect. "P-P-Piplup!"

The penguin Pokemon nodded. "Yeah, it's me. Look, Oshy... I'm sorry if you felt embarassed back there... I just wanted to know what was bugging you. Didn't quite expect... THAT response though."

"Err... Sorry about making _you _feel embarrassed, but... You did pressure me..."

"I... I didn't mean that! Come on, hear me out for a second."

"Okay, okay. What is it?"

"Pikachu talked to me about how he knew about you... Well... You know, 'love' me, so I gave it some thought..."

"If you're going to say 'no', then stop right now, I don't even want to hear it."

"..."

"...I knew it. You WERE going to reject me. Sigh... Typical... But... we'd still be friends, right?"

"Of course we would! So what if we have little... problems like this?"

"Whoa, I... I didn't... I thought before that if I admitted I liked you, then you wouldn't think of me as a friend anymore..."

"Now that's just crazy! What would give you that idea?"

"I... have no idea."

"But seriously, won't you come back and play with us? You are better at it after all!"

"I guess I am! Plus I have nothing better to do anyway..."

"No one ever does... Well, come on then."

"Alright..."

"...Oh, I never got to say what I was thinking about before."

"But... You were going to turn me down, right? You never said anything, and I said not to say anything if you were going to say no!"

"Actually, I wasn't going to say no. I was just trying to work up the guts to say it."

"W-what? Are you saying... You'll..."

"I'll give you a chance. A date, you might say."

"But... but why?"

"Why not? If you really do love me, then you should be showing, right?"

"Good point, but how?"

"You can start now, if you want."

"...Can I tell you something?"

"Yes...?"

"I love you."

"Do you really?"

"Aww, _come on!"_

"Teehee, only kidding!"

* * *

**A/N: And there you have it. Their little golfing escapade led to Oshawott exposing his feelings to Piplup, then one thing led to another and... bang! Though not officially a 'couple' (yet), things may be in store. Next up: both where Shinx and Chikorita ended up going, and the cultural performance at Opal Theater. :) And will Plusle and Minun ever end up watching that movie and/or be forced to watch that performance? Stay tuned! And please review! :D I PROMISE it won't take forever again! D: (so long as the chapter uploader stops being difficult :P)**

**From everyone this side of the cosmos, We say fare thee well!**

**-gl1m0**


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